Osteopathische herzfokussierte Palpation und Herzfrequenzvariabilität – Teil 2

Does osteopathic heart-focused palpation change heart rate variability in people with musculoskeletal pain? Part 1 of the two-part article in the previous issue described the aims, material and methods as well as the participants of the randomized, controlled pilot study; this 2nd part is dedicated to the results.

A total of 33 adults (47.7 ± 13.5 years old) with stress and musculoskeletal pain completed the trial with acceptable rates of recruitment (8.25 subjects per site/month), retention (100 %), adherence (100 %), and adverse events (0 %). Heart-focused palpation (HFP; n = 18), but not SHAM (n = 15), significantly increased the root mean square of successive RR interval differences (p = 0.036), standard deviation of the NN intervals (p = 0.009), and ratio of the low-frequency to high-frequency power band (p = 0.026). HFP and SHAM significantly decreased the heart rate (p < 0.001, p = 0.009) but not the stress index and ratio of the Poincaré plot standard deviation along and perpendicular to the line of identity (p > 0.05). A power analysis calculated 72 participants. Taken together, the study was feasible and HFP improved HRV in stressed subjects with musculoskeletal pain, suggesting a parasympathetic effect