Osteopathic correction as part of complex treatment of patients with irritable bowel syndrome

Introduction. According to WHO data from 15 to 20 % of patients seeking gastroenterological care suffer from irritable bowel syndrome. The peak incidence is at the age of 30–40 years and is a frequent cause of disability due to the development of pain syndrome with localisation in the abdomen and changes in stool frequency in the absence of organic pathology. Low effectiveness of treatment of this disease is associated not only with multifactorial formation of gastrointestinal tract dysfunction and the lack of a single standard of therapy, but also with low adherence of patients to treatment due to polypragmasy and the need for long-term use of medications against the background of stressors, urbanisation, low motor activity and changes in diet and diet quality. All this puts before clinicians the task of searching for and including new non-medication methods of treatment of patients with this nosology, which predetermined the purpose of this study.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of including osteopathic correction in the complex treatment of patients with irritable bowel syndrome on the course of this disease.

Materials and methods. A prospective randomised controlled study, conducted between January 2022 and March 2023 at the outpatient clinic of FBUZ MSCh № 32 FMBA of Russia in Zarechny, Sverdlovsk region, included 64 patients of both sexes with an established diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome. All participants of the study were divided into two comparable groups - main and control groups of 32 people each. Patients of the main group along with standard drug therapy received osteopathic correction, patients of the control group received only drug therapy according to clinical recommendations in gastroenterology. At the end of the treatment course the osteopathic status and the degree of pain syndrome severity were evaluated in patients of both groups.

Results. In patients with irritable bowel syndrome the most frequently diagnosed were somatic dysfunctions of global and regional level. Somatic dysfunctions of the global (psychovisceral dysfunction — 23,4 %, rhythmogenic cranial dysfunction — 17,2 %, global biomechanical dysfunction — 6,3 %) and regional levels (lumbar region: visceral component — 35 %, somatic component — 29,7 % and thoracic region: somatic component — 37,4 %) were determined as dominant. The inclusion of osteopathic correction in the complex treatment of patients with irritable bowel syndrome resulted in a statistically significant (p<0,05) decrease in the severity of pain syndrome with localisation in the abdomen.

Conclusion. As part of the complex treatment of patients with irritable bowel syndrome, osteopathic correction in combination with the use of standard drug therapy contributes to a significantly more significant reduction in the severity of pain syndrome compared to the use of pharmacological treatment alone in this category of patients. 

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