Probst P, Büchler E, Doerr-Harim C, et al. Randomized controlled pilot trial on feasibility, safety and effectiveness of osteopathic manipulative treatment following major abdominal surgery (OMANT pilot trial). Int J Osteopath Med. 2016. doi:10.1016/j.ijosm.2016.03.002. 

German researchers conducted a randomized controlled pilot trial to assess the feasibility, safety, and possible benefits of osteopathic manipulative therapy (OMTh; manipulative care provided by foreign-trained osteopaths) administered after abdominal surgery. Retrospective studies found that postoperative ileus duration was significantly shortened by osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT).^1-3 

This study used a prospective design, with 20 patients scheduled for abdominal surgery randomly assigned to an intervention (n=10) or control group (n=10). Exclusion criteria included diseases of the spine, metastatic disease, and long-term opioid use. Control patients received standard postoperative treatment including “pain medication via peridual, patient-controlled or peripheral venous access with the goal of a subjective pain score below 6 on a numeric rating scale.” The intervention group received standard care and additional OMTh from postoperative days 1 to 5. The OMTh sessions lasted 30 minutes, with 10 minutes each of the following 3 techniques: