Journal of Osteopathic Medicine最新文献

{"title":"A crisis within the physician shortage in the United States: the need for consistent 12-week paid parental leave.","authors":"Kali Chiriboga","doi":"10.1515/jom-2025-0246","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/jom-2025-0246","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parental leave policies for physicians in the United States remain inconsistent and inadequate, despite growing recognition of their critical role in supporting families' well-being and retention in the workplace. While federal efforts such as the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act (FEPLA) provide some relief, their limitations - especially regarding wage replacement and eligibility - leave many physicians without sufficient support. State-level paid parental leave (PPL) programs offer uneven coverage, with only 13 states offering such programs and wide variability in duration and compensation. Physicians, as a unique professional group, experience higher levels of burnout compared to other professions, with female physicians facing even greater risk. This is compounded by later childbearing ages and increased risk of pregnancy-related complications. Surveys reveal that most female physicians feel that their parental leave benefits are insufficient and often rely on short-term disability, paid time off (PTO), or unpaid leave to recover from childbirth and care for their newborns. This lack of comprehensive support can contribute to burnout, depression, and increased attrition from the medical workforce. The United States faces a projected shortage of up to 86,000 physicians by 2036, with burnout and family obligations driving some physicians to reduce hours or leave the profession entirely. Evidence from other industries and the military demonstrates that robust PPL policies improve retention, reduce gender-based attrition, and offer substantial cost savings with a significant return on investment for every dollar spent. This review and policy proposal highlights the unique challenges faced by physicians and the urgent need for targeted federal and state-level policy interventions to advance PPL and improve the physician workforce sustainability in the United States.</p>","PeriodicalId":36050,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Osteopathic Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147821745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pain: a century-old approach to treatment with objective documentation.","authors":"Precious L Barnes, Frank J Casella, Hilda Lai, Olavi Airaksinen, Michael L Kuchera","doi":"10.1515/jom-2025-0076","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/jom-2025-0076","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>While medications have their place in the treatment of pain, incorporating the century-old practice of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) into pain treatment protocols may be beneficial. OMT has been administered with positive results in the reduction of pain, but it has been difficult to quantify palpable somatic changes, post-OMT. However, with technological advancement, adding objective documentation could potentially support the many published subjective studies demonstrating OMT effectiveness, reproducibility of OMT techniques, and the effect of OMT in pain reduction.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study documented objective changes in cervical hysteresis, consistent reproducible palpatory diagnosis, and treatment pressures with associated pain levels.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 213 subjects were enrolled and randomized into two treatment groups. Subjects reported their cervical pain via pre- and posttreatment questionnaires. One physician measured somatic tissue hysteresis pre- and posttreatment in all cervical segments utilizing the ULTRAlign SA201^®. A second physician independently diagnosed for significant somatic dysfunction and treated with cervical OMT (while wearing the IsoTouch^® palpation monitoring system).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Statistically significant or suggestive overall cervical changes were observed in all four ULTRAlign SA201^® hysteresis measurement components. Consistent diagnostic and treatment IsoTouch^® pressure measures were documented in the cervical region. Neck pain subjects reported pain reduction posttreatment, with no subjects remaining in the severe pain subgroup.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Statistically significant or suggestive objective cervical hysteresis changes were noted after direct method OMT, along with a reduction in pain scores in this subject population. Consistent palpatory pressures for cervical diagnosis and treatment were measured, supporting the reproducibility of these techniques.</p>","PeriodicalId":36050,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Osteopathic Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147783689","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Correlational analysis of COMAT FBS and COMLEX-USA Level 1 scores.","authors":"Jinghua Liu, Stuart Barnum, Robert Dukat, Min Liang","doi":"10.1515/jom-2025-0127","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/jom-2025-0127","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners (NBOME) provides the Foundational Biomedical Sciences (FBS) examinations - FBS-Comprehensive and FBS-Targeted - to support the evaluation of osteopathic medical knowledge. These assessments were launched in 2018 and 2020, respectively. However, the relationship between FBS performance and performance on the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States (COMLEX-USA) Level 1 has not been fully explored.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between performance on Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Achievement Test (COMAT) FBS assessments and COMLEX-USA Level 1 scores.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study analyzed the examination performance of first-time COMLEX-USA Level 1 test-takers who completed an FBS assessment between 2021 and 2024. Pearson pairwise correlation analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationship between FBS scores and Level 1 performance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The Pearson correlation coefficient between the FBS-Comprehensive and COMLEX-USA Level 1 was <i>r</i>=0.63. Correlations between the FBS-Targeted assessments and COMLEX-USA Level 1 ranged from <i>r</i>=0.50 to <i>r</i>=0.64. These indicate strong positive linear relationships between the two assessments.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study demonstrates a strong correlation between FBS performance and COMLEX-USA Level 1 outcomes. These findings provide empirical support for the use of COMAT FBS assessments as valuable tools for gauging students' readiness for COMLEX-USA Level 1.</p>","PeriodicalId":36050,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Osteopathic Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147783487","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Demographics of physicians in family medicine residencies during the transition to single GME accreditation.","authors":"Jeremy A Ginoza, Jennifer M Weaver, Daniel L Meyer, Russell G Maier","doi":"10.1515/jom-2024-0177","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/jom-2024-0177","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>In 2020, the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) became the sole accrediting body for osteopathic and allopathic residency programs. Programs were given the option to apply for Osteopathic Recognition (OR) to emphasize their training in osteopathic principles and practices. This study, protocol 19-366 A5 (Council of Academic Family Medicine Educational Research Alliance [CERA] Survey), was ethically approved by the American Academy of Family Physicians Institutional Review Board (IRB). The study was exempt from clinical trial registration due to its noninterventional online survey methodology. Participants electronically confirmed consent prior to survey initiation.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Our objective was to examine the demographic changes in osteopathic residents, faculty, and program directors (PDs) in ACGME family medicine (FM) programs over the 5-year period of transition to single accreditation.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Utilizing demographic data from the 2015 and 2020 CERA omnibus PD surveys, we conducted analyses to examine the changes in number and gender distribution of osteopathic residents, faculty, and PDs.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Between 2015 and 2020, there were statistically significant increases in Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) PDs, faculty, and residents in FM residency programs. There is also a nonstatistically significant trend toward a higher proportion of female PDs, from  38.1 % in 2015 to 43.5 % in 2020.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The number of DOs in ACGME-accredited FM residency programs increased during the transition to single accreditation. Further research is needed to determine the role of Osteopathic PDs and faculty in OR status.</p>","PeriodicalId":36050,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Osteopathic Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147783538","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Manual therapy modalities and depression: a systematic review.","authors":"Paulyna Schulz, Teodor Huzij","doi":"10.1515/jom-2025-0214","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/jom-2025-0214","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Context: &lt;/strong&gt;Depression and other mood disorders have a significant impact on patients, affecting their daily functioning, physical health, and emotional well-being. While psychopharmacological medications and psychotherapy are the most common evidence-based treatments (supported by a significant amount of scientific research), there is growing research that supports the use of complementary therapies (nonmainstream approaches utilized together with conventional medicine), including manipulative or manual therapies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objectives: &lt;/strong&gt;This systematic review contributes to the existing literature by evaluating published studies on the effectiveness of various manual-therapy modalities in reducing depression symptoms, and it provides a comparative examination of these modalities as complementary treatment options for depression and related mood disorders.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;A comprehensive literature search was conducted from January to April 2025 utilizing PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar. Search results were uploaded to DistillerSR to assist with the screening phase. The study selection process followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The inclusion criteria required studies to be to be peer-reviewed, published in English, assessed mood disorder symptoms as a primary variable, utilized validated depression measures pre- and postintervention, and involved manual therapies administered by qualified professionals. Selected articles were independently evaluated by authors with two metrics: a level of evidence (LOE) table and a screening criterion incorporating specific elements from the search process. The Strength of Recommendation Taxonomy (SORT) was utilized to assess the quality of the studies.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;The literature search gathered 6,661 articles that were uploaded to DistillerSR. Then 717 duplicates were removed, so 5,944 articles were screened. Ultimately, 5,810 articles were excluded during title and abstract screening. Full-text analysis was conducted on 132 articles, of which 97 met the inclusion criteria. The following modalities were studied: acupressure, acupoint massage, bone setting, chiropractic manipulation, craniosacral therapy, energetic and light touch therapies, manual therapy, osteopathic manipulative treatment/therapy (OMT/OMTh), foot reflexology, massage therapy, and other soft tissue therapies. Each modality was assigned a \"B\" rating based on SORT. Seventeen studies in the review included patients with specific psychiatric diagnoses, such as major depressive disorder (MDD), depression, adjustment disorder, and seasonal affective disorder, in which manipulative therapies were evaluated for their impact on managing depressive symptoms. Out of these 17 studies, 15 (88.2 %) reported that manipulative therapy led to a significant reduction in depression symptoms. The results of each modality demonstrati","PeriodicalId":36050,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Osteopathic Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147783731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Unopposed alpha-1 constriction: a critical review of beta blocker use in cocaine-associated cardiovascular events.","authors":"Jeremy Jong, Clipper F Young, Jennifer M Abueg, Christina Kinnevey Greig","doi":"10.1515/jom-2025-0117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/jom-2025-0117","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Context: &lt;/strong&gt;Cocaine-associated cardiovascular events pose significant challenges in primary care settings, where outpatient physicians often serve as the first point of contact for patients with both acute and chronic cardiovascular complications. Current guidelines discourage the use of beta blockers in cocaine-related acute coronary syndrome (ACS) due to concerns of unopposed alpha-1 constriction, but emerging evidence questions the validity of this caution. Primary care physicians frequently manage patients with heart failure and comorbid substance use disorders, highlighting the need for clarity on beta blocker safety and efficacy in this population.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objectives: &lt;/strong&gt;This review aimed to systematically evaluate the evidence of unopposed alpha stimulation when prescribing beta blockers in people who utilize cocaine, as well as the safety and efficacy of beta blockers in managing heart failure in this population.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;PubMed was searched from April 1968 through August 2024 utilizing the search terms \"cocaine\", \"beta blocker\", and several commonly prescribed beta blockers. The screening process was performed by two authors (CKG and JJ), with discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer (CY). The inclusion criteria encompassed original human studies examining the outcomes of patients utilizing cocaine who were treated with beta blockers. The exclusion criteria consisted of studies lacking beta blocker intervention and articles not written in English. The extracted data from each article included the study type, purpose, design, time period, data source, sample size, follow-up duration, clinical intervention, outcomes, and mortality. Critical appraisal skills programme (CASP) checklists for bias analysis were completed for each non-case study article. Different artificial intelligence (AI) bots (Gemini, Microsoft CoPilot, and ChatGPT) were utilized in helping with the completion of the checklists with comparison across the three different platforms and then cross-referenced with the article text itself. The reviewers completed the final risk-of-bias determination without the use of AI.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;The search identified 156 articles, with two duplicates being removed. The remaining 154 articles were screened for relevance, and 116 were excluded based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria outlined in the methods. Of the 38 potentially relevant articles, full-text review led to the exclusion of 12 articles, which ultimately led to 26 articles being included in this review.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;Current evidence suggests that the risk of unopposed alpha-1 constriction with beta blockers in cocaine-associated cardiovascular events may be overstated. Mixed alpha/beta blockers and beta-1 selective agents were associated with favorable hemodynamic control with minimal reported adverse events. For outpatient physicians, these findings support a more nuanced appr","PeriodicalId":36050,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Osteopathic Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147783764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Osteopathic manipulative treatment and cervicogenic headache: a randomized controlled trial.","authors":"Stephan T Klemm, Walter Klemm, Regina Semmler-Ludwig, Maren Witt","doi":"10.1515/jom-2025-0019","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/jom-2025-0019","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Context: </strong>Cervicogenic headache (CeH) is a common secondary headache type arising from a disorder or lesion of the cervical spine and its soft tissues.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>This study aimed to evaluate the effect of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) in patients with CeH.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 413 patients with CeH were treated by 30 osteopaths and allocated by block randomization to an OMT group (n=226) or a placebo group (n=187). The primary outcome was the Neck Disability Index (NDI) score; the secondary outcome was upper cervical rotation measured with the Flexion-Rotation Test (FRT) utilizing a cervical range of motion (CROM) device. Patients received two treatments over 4 weeks (standardized sham vs. findings-based OMT). Two-factor analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were utilized for the NDI score and CROM_FRT_sum, and Cohen's <i>d</i> was calculated for all clinical outcomes. A severity-based subgroup analysis of the NDI was performed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The NDI improved by 5.9 points (11.8 %) in the OMT group and by 2.5 points (5.1 %) in the placebo group from baseline to final follow-up. Only the OMT group reached the established minimal clinically important difference (MCID) of 5.5 points. Effect sizes in the OMT group were large (Cohen's <i>d</i>=0.74 short-term and 0.87 at follow-up).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>OMT reduces pain and improves functional disability in patients with CeH in a clinically meaningful way. Patients with higher initial NDI scores benefit more from OMT than others.</p>","PeriodicalId":36050,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Osteopathic Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147783736","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"21st century osteopathic medicine: a modern perspective.","authors":"MarkAlain Dery","doi":"10.1515/jom-2024-0100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/jom-2024-0100","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":36050,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Osteopathic Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147783452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gas gangrene of the great toe identified on radiograph.","authors":"Cody A Sprague, David S Pryluck, Bryan G Kane","doi":"10.1515/jom-2025-0178","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/jom-2025-0178","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":36050,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Osteopathic Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147783495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Investigating the efficacy of osteopathic manipulative treatment for intractable hiccups: a pilot study.","authors":"Derek E Bowman, Emily C Jamo, Rosalyn R Bloch, Zachary Tepper, Ethan M Poland, Megan Kempa, Canyon O'Brien, Kayla Fong, Ahmed Shahbain, Makenzie A Kamm, Jack R O'Hara, Angela S Lee, J'Aimee Lippert","doi":"10.1515/jom-2025-0253","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1515/jom-2025-0253","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Context: &lt;/strong&gt;Intractable hiccups is a rare medical condition defined as daily hiccups continuing for more than 30 days and is recognized by the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) and NIH Genetic and Rare Diseases (GARD) Information Center. Hiccups are spasmodic contractions of the respiratory muscles, triggered by activation of the hiccup reflex arc. Intractable hiccups can occur if this arc is chronically or aberrantly activated. The hiccup reflex arc has three components: (1) afferent pathways involving the phrenic, sympathetic, and vagal nerves; (2) central processing centers within the central nervous system; and (3) efferent fibers, including the phrenic nerve, vagal branches, and intercostal nerves. Previously published case reports have reported robust improvements to intractable hiccup disease severity after osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) for related areas of somatic dysfunction, with one achieving complete remission. However, no structured studies have evaluated this approach to date.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Objectives: &lt;/strong&gt;The objective of this case series is to determine whether one session of OMT can reduce the severity of intractable hiccups.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;Five participants aged 18 and older with intractable hiccups were recruited through physician offices, online postings, and flyers placed on and around the Michigan State University (MSU) campus over a 2-year study period. Following eligibility screening, participants recorded their daily hiccup frequency and associated symptoms for 7 days before and after OMT. Each participant received one OMT session after a comprehensive medical history and osteopathic musculoskeletal examination. Identified somatic dysfunctions were treated utilizing appropriate OMT techniques. Muscle energy, counterstrain, and Still Techniques were utilized most frequently. High-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) methods were not employed in this study. All treatments were performed by an experienced osteopathic physician at the university-associated osteopathic manipulative medicine (OMM) clinic.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Across the participants, we observed common patterns of somatic dysfunction in the cervical spine (C1 and C5), thoracic regions, and the abdominal diaphragm. After OMT, patients experienced clinically meaningful and statistically significant reductions in hiccup frequency. The average number of daily hiccups decreased from 16.37 to 5.66, representing a 65.4 % reduction after intervention (paired &lt;i&gt;t&lt;/i&gt;-test, p=0.018). In addition, three out of the five participants experienced statistically significant reductions in their mean number of daily hiccups after treatment (&lt;i&gt;t&lt;/i&gt;-test, p&lt;0.05).&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;This case series is the first structured investigation into the use of OMT for intractable hiccups. The findings strongly suggest that OMT can be an effective option for reducing the disease burden of intractable h","PeriodicalId":36050,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Osteopathic Medicine","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147783475","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}