Results of osteopathic correction in children and adolescents with undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia

Abstract

Introduction. The syndrome of undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia (UCTD) combines a group of diseases that is heterogeneous in origin and polymorphic in clinical manifestations. UCTD is characterized by joint hypermobility and pain in the joints and back. In the last decade, osteopathic methods for the diagnosis and correction of dorsalgia and joint mobility disorders, including UCTD, have become widespread. However, the results of osteopathic correction in children and adolescents with undifferentiated dysplasia have not yet been fully investigated.The aim of the study was to research the results of osteopathic correction in children and adolescents with the syndrome of undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia.Materials and methods. The study involved 48 children and adolescents aged 10 to 18 years. A study group and a control group were formed by the simple randomization method. Each group consisted of 24 participants: 5 boys and 19 girls in the main group; 7 boys and 17 girls in the control. The participants of the main group received osteopathic correction. The participants in the control group received drug therapy and lifestyle correction. In both groups, osteopathic status, intensity of pain syndrome, functioning of the autonomic nervous system (the predominance of sympathetic or parasympathetic influences on the cardiovascular system), the level of depression and anxiety were assessed before and after the treatment.Results. Osteopathic correction in children and adolescents with UCTD was accompanied by a statistically significant (p<0,05) decrease in the detection frequency of regional somatic dysfunctions of the head, neck, thoracic region, and pelvis. There was also a statistically significant (p<0,05) decrease in the intensity of pain syndrome, normalization of the functioning of the autonomic nervous system, which manifested in the achievement of a state of autonomic balance, assessed by the Kerdo index, a decrease in the level of depression and anxiety. Standard treatment, including drug therapy and lifestyle correction, was accompanied by the normalization of the functioning of the autonomic nervous system and a decrease in the level of depression. However, osteopathic correction led to statistically significantly more pronounced results for these indicators compared to the results of standard treatment.Conclusion. The obtained results make it possible to consider the possibility of including osteopathic correction in the complex treatment of children and adolescents suffering from undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia, since it have a positive effect on the course of the main disease. It is advisable to conduct a study on a larger sample of patients with subsequent follow-up assessment.