Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Systematic Review

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive respiratory condition associated with significant morbidity and functional impairment. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) has been proposed as an adjunctive therapy to address musculoskeletal and respiratory mechanics in patients suffering from COPD. However, the clinical evidence remains limited. Therefore, the objective of this study is to systematically review available clinical evidence evaluating the utility of osteopathic manipulative treatment in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A systematic review of the MEDLINE/PUBMED, Google Scholar, Cochrane, and clinicaltrials.gov databases was conducted to identify clinical trials evaluating osteopathic manipulative treatment in adult patients with COPD. Eligible studies were screened and synthesized narratively due to heterogeneity in study design and outcome measures. Ultimately, five clinical studies met the inclusion criteria. Reported outcomes included pulmonary function measures, functional capacity, and patient-reported outcomes. Findings were mixed, with some studies demonstrating improvements in functional and subjective measures, while other studies showed no reported benefit following OMT. Overall, evidence regarding osteopathic manipulative treatments in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease remains limited and mixed. While some studies suggest potential benefit, most notably a statistically significant improvement in the six-minute walk test (6MWT), other studies show no improvement compared with standard care, and larger high-quality trials are needed to clarify OMT's role as an adjunctive therapy in COPD management.