Influence of a single osteopathic procedure on the regulatory processes of the body of premature infants (pilot study)
Authors: Belyaev A. F. , Yurchenko M. S. , Kharkovskaya T. S. , Kurleeva T. Yu. , Akhtanina E. A. 
Published: September 2024

Introduction. The number of children born early in gestation and with low body weight and associated health disorders require the search for effective methods of rehabilitation treatment. The development of new effective non-invasive methods of rehabilitation/rehabilitation of premature infants is one of the priority tasks of national health care.

Aims — to evaluate the effect of a single osteopathic procedure on the regulatory processes of the body (an indicator of the activity of regulatory systems and an index of nervous system tension) in premature infants.

Materials and methods. In the clinic 30 premature infants with a gestation period of 24 to 37 weeks were monitored on the terms of voluntary written informed consent (the average gestation period was 31,35±0,45 weeks). The children were aged from 2 to 12 months (the average age was 4,93±0,45 months), of which 53,3 % (16 people) were boys and 46,6 % (14 people) were girls. On admission, parents most often complained about sleep disorders: sleep is not long, the child often wakes up at night or cries in his sleep, often sleeps only in the arms of his mother. It is difficult to feed the child, he does not eat the daily norm of food. During wakefulness, the child is restless, and when crying, calms down only in the arms. Osteopathic examination and correction were performed according to the clinical recommendations «Somatic Dysfunctions» and patent № 2739128 «Method of treatment of pain syndrome on the background of somatic dysfunctions in newborns». The procedures are carried out, as a rule, in the first half of the day, lasting 20 minutes. A methodical technique in the form of a single osteopathic procedure was used, when first the patient is examined, immediately after that the procedure and again the examination. The state of nervous system tension was assessed using cardiointervalography, the index of activity of the body′s regulatory systems and the index of tension of the autonomic nervous system were evaluated. The FLACC-SS pain assessment scale for infants, which we modified, was used to assess pain. Psychomotor development was assessed using the Griffiths developmental scale. The Statistica-10 software package was used for statistical analysis of the obtained data.

Results. Upon admission, the pain level on the FLACC-SS scale was 2,35±1,35 points, which indicates, on average, moderate pain intensity in children. The Griffiths score was 31,64±3,57 points, which indicates a delay in psychomotor development in children. In the study of CIG before osteopathic correction, the IN was 597,77±89,99 units, and the PARS was 5,10±0,85 points. This is a pronounced functional stress of the body and is characterized by a decrease in its functional reserves and an inadequate response to environmental factors. During the initial osteopathic examination, somatic dysfunctions were detected mainly at the global level (changes in skeletal muscle tone, changes in cranial, cardiac and respiratory rhythms). After a single osteopathic correction procedure, the tension index decreased statistically significantly, and there was also a tendency to decrease the level of tension of regulatory systems. The pain level in children decreased to 0,16 points, which means.

Conclusion. Somatic dysfunctions play an important role in the development of disorders of body regulation and pain syndrome. Correction of somatic dysfunctions in premature infants by osteopathy methods helps to reduce pain syndrome and improve the adaptive mechanisms of the body. Thus helps to prevent energy-consuming increased work of regulatory mechanisms, to adjust sleep and wakefulness, to improve appetite and, ultimately, the quality of life of the infant and the whole family. Restoring the energy balance of the child′s body, optimizing the work of regulatory systems, reducing the intensity of pain syndrome makes it possible to start early rehabilitation of premature infants.