Improved Lung Function in Children

New Research Links Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment with Improved Lung Function in Children. While pharmaceutical treatments have significantly improved the symptoms of asthma and the inflammation associated with wheezing, very few doctors recognize the importance of proper movement of the chest, ribs, and diaphragm.

Osteopathic physicians are uniquely trained to treat the whole person, emphasizing the importance of the structure of the body influencing the function of the body. This is most easily seen with the act of breathing.

Crack a rib and one has a lot of pain and restricted motion of the thoracic rib cage. Break three or four ribs and it becomes a life-threatening situation. This is not because there is anything wrong with the lungs- quite the opposite. But, the restriction of the thorax, rib cage, and diaphragm muscle underneath the lungs cause the lungs to under-inflate. Then there is less oxygen to the tissues and toxic waste products build up in the body along with carbon dioxide. This results in more muscle spasm, inflammation, and mucous development. Now there is a vicious cycle to break.

A new study on children done at the Peninsula Hospital Center in Far Rockaway, N.Y. measured improved amounts of air forced out of the lungs during an asthma attack after osteopathic manipulation (OMT). A common method to calculate this is often used by the children at home with a peak flow meter. In asthma there is difficulty getting air forced out of the lungs quickly from the small airways. A hand-held device called a peak flow meter can tell the child if the asthma is worsening as the total volume of air pushed out of the lungs in one breath will be less.

Those children who received OMT, hands on treatment involving the ribs, back muscles, and diaphragm markedly reduced their asthma symptoms.

• They expended less energy breathing and were more comfortable
• Easier breathing reduced the child's anxiety level
• Small airways opened up increasing oxygen in the blood
• Chest wall motion improved making the lungs expand more

So why haven't these simple techniques of rib raising and thoracic myofascial release been used? Nine out of ten doctors in the U.S. are allopathic physicians or MDs and have no training or first hand knowledge of osteopathy. The old adage “if all you can do is hammer than everything is a nail” applies. Unfortunately, traditional medicine is not even referring to osteopathic physicians to provide care for the musculoskeletal system. DOs understand integrating forms of complementary medicine with standard medical care in treating the whole person.

As more parents become aware of alternative medicine they will demand more choices in treatment of their children. Osteopathic medicine and its 150,000 physicians offer a blend of holistic medicine and Western medicine. With asthma this includes mobilizing the ribs, chest wall, and diaphragm to improve the body's healing response.

References

1. Journal of the American Osteopathic Association Vol 105 Jan 2005, 7-12.