Gary Fryer contributed an extensive paper to the International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine in 2017 reviewing biological and psychological effect mechanisms of osteopathy. Therein, osteopathy was proposed to reduce pain and improve movement and function 1) bottom-up, affecting tissue and tissue receptors, and 2) top-down, affecting cognitive and psychological states. Therein, both biological and psychosocial mechanisms are proposed to be responsible for the therapeutic effect of osteopathy. Mechanisms are reviewed with extensive literature and clinical approaches, arising from this understanding of these mechanisms, are presented in the second part. This research series not only investigates osteopathic effect mechanisms critically but also outlines clinical implications for the differing therapeutic techniques and mechanisms.
Fryer, G., 2017. Integrating osteopathic approaches based on biopsychosocial therapeutic mechanisms. Par 1: The mechanisms. International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, 25, 30-41.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijosm.2017.05.002
Fryer, G., 2017. Integrating osteopathic approaches based on biopsychosocial therapeutic mechanisms. Par 1: The mechanisms. International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, 26, 36-43.