The effect of general osteopathic treatment on muscle tone according to electromyography data
Authors: Cherednikova N. V. , Zhang V. F. , Potekhina Yu. P. , Miroshnichenko D. B. 
Published: December 2023

Introduction. Clinical research in osteopathy is criticized for the lack of standardization of treatment and insufficient use of instrumental methods to assess its effectiveness. Therefore, in order to increase evidence in osteopathy, it is relevant to search for instrumental methods that allow recording and measuring objective indicators and their changes after standardized osteopathic correction.

   The aim of the study is to research the effect of general osteopathic treatment on muscle tone using electromyography in practically healthy people.

   Materials and methods. A study was conducted on the basis of the Department of Osteopathy of the Mechnikov NWSMU. 30 practically healthy volunteers without any active complaints, aged 20 to 42 years (median 25 years), took part in the study. The criteria for non-inclusion were the presence of diseases and/or conditions that are an absolute contraindication to osteopathic correction, taking muscle relaxants or acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, diseases belonging to the G00-G83 group according to ICD-10, the presence of a trauma history for less than 1 year. All volunteers underwent general osteopathic treatment (GOT) as a standardized variant of osteopathic correction. Before and immediately after the GOT, muscle tone was studied using surface electromyography (sEMG), which was performed on the complex of wireless monitoring of electrophysiological signals «Kolibri» (manufacturer LLC «Neurotech», Russia). At rest, the average amplitude of the electrical activity of the muscles of the upper arms, the interscapular region, the anterior and posterior muscle groups of the thigh and lower legwere measured. The recording was made simultaneously from several muscle groups, synchronously from the right and left sides of the body.

   Results. After the GOT, a statistically significant decrease in the average amplitude of the thigh anterior surface muscles electrical activity from the median of 8 MV to 4 MV (p = 0,00001), the lower leg anterior surface from the median of 9 MV to 7 mv (p = 0,008) was detected, which indicates their relaxation. The tone of the other muscle groups did not change statistically significantly. The asymmetry of the average amplitude of electrical activity was observed in the studied muscles, which shows an imbalance of tone between symmetrical muscles. In most of the studied muscle groups, this indicator did not change statistically significantly after the GOT. And only in the anterior thigh muscle group, the asymmetry of the average amplitude of electrical activity decreased statistically significantly from the median of 7 MV to 2 MV (p = 0,0046).

   Conclusion. With the help of the sEMG, it was found that one session of GOT leads to a decrease in the tone of the anterior thigh and lower leg muscle groups, as well as a decrease in the asymmetry of the tone of the anterior thigh muscle group. These results can be explained from the standpoint of the GOT effect on skeletal muscles by means of improving the characteristics of the muscle tissue itself and the surrounding fascia, as well as by inhibitory and harmonizing effects on the nervous system, which ensures the maintenance and regulation of muscle tone. Surface EMG can be used to objectively record and measure the results of osteopathic correction to increase the evidence of clinical trials in osteopathy.