Viscoelastic properties of tissues and changes in them after osteopathic correction

Abstract

Introduction. Objective measurement of the muscle tone, especially on specifi c areas, represents a serious clinical issue. The most objective and well-known method for studying muscular function is electromyography. A non-invasive assessment of muscle tone and rigidity is possible by using Myoton digital palpation device. However, these methods have a range of disadvantages, which disable them to be widely used for dynamic evaluation of muscles’ viscoelastic properties during treatment, including after osteopathic correction.Goal of research - to evaluate the viscoelastic properties of tissues using palpation and instrumental techniques before and after osteopathic correction.Materials and methods. 14 students (7 practicing sports and 7 not practicing sports) aged 18-23 without problems with the musculoskeletal system were examined. Osteopathic diagnostics and measurement of viscoelastic properties of muscles before and after osteopathic correction were performed by vibrational viscoelastometry.The results. The elasticity in sportsmen’s muscles is higher compared to the elasticity of muscles of those who do not practice sports (p=0,04). Viscosity comparison did not show any difference (p=0,6). In the non-practicing sports group, the osteopathic treatment decreased muscle elasticity (p=0,000002), that may indicate their relaxation. At the same time, the viscosity was practically unchanged (p=0,45). In the sports-practicing group the elasticity and the viscosity of the muscles increased after the osteopathic correction session (p=0,0000002 and p=0,001, respectively). In the same group, two weeks after the fi rst session, muscle elasticity decreased (p=0,02) and the viscosity increased (p=0,03). These changes may be considered as favorable. After the second session of osteopathic correction, the elasticity decreased even more (p=0,04), which means that muscles became relaxed.Conclusions. Therefore, reported results showed that the viscoelastometry method had a real potential for an objective evaluation of the skeletal muscles’ condition and the effects of osteopathic treatment. Modifi cations in the viscoelastic properties of the tissues demonstrate that the effects of osteopathic treatment are ambiguous and depend on the initial muscle’s condition.