Southern Cross University, Australia.
Southern Cross University, Australia.
J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2024 Apr;38:449-453. doi: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2024.01.003. Epub 2024 Jan 7.
Parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS) function can be inferred by heart rate variability (HRV) providing indications about an individual's health. Manual therapy may influence PSNS function, however the research outcomes in this regard are equivocal. This study explored the PSNS effect of a measured breathing technique with suboccipital balanced ligamentous tension, an osteopathic manipulative therapy technique.
Healthy adult participants in this crossover study (n = 18) were randomly allocated into two groups with differing order of interventions. A 1:1 breathing rate of 6 breaths per minute maintained for 5 min was compared to the osteopathic intervention. HRV was measured for 5 min before and after each intervention and analysed using the root mean square of successive differences (RMSSD) between normal heartbeats and high frequency normalised units (HFnu).
The RMSSD data demonstrated no significant difference between groups or within groups (p > 0.05) over time. HFnu results showed a significant between-group difference over the four time points (p = 0.004) with a medium effect size (ηp = 0.240), and no significant within-group difference (p > 0.05).
The osteopathic intervention raised HRV to a small extent, however measured breathing lowered HRV. In the group that received the osteopathic technique first, HFnu values continued to rise post-osteopathic treatment possibly indicating an increasing parasympathetic effect over time. Recommendations for future studies include changing the breathing ratio to ensure parasympathetic response, take into account potential delayed effects of interventions, consider outcome measures less variable than HRV, and longer follow up times.
This study suggests parasympathetic stimulation may occur with the application of suboccipital balanced ligamentous tension and sympathetic stimulation from measured breathing.
副交感神经系统（PSNS）功能可以通过心率变异性（HRV）推断出来，这为个体的健康状况提供了指示。手法治疗可能会影响 PSNS 功能，但是这方面的研究结果尚无定论。本研究探讨了一种有测量呼吸技术的 PSNS 影响，该技术是一种整骨治疗技术，涉及枕下平衡韧带张力。
本交叉研究纳入了 18 名健康成年参与者，他们随机分为两组，干预顺序不同。6 次/分钟的呼吸率维持 5 分钟，与整骨干预进行比较。在每次干预前后均测量 5 分钟的 HRV，并使用正常心跳之间的均方根差（RMSSD）和高频归一化单位（HFnu）进行分析。
RMSSD 数据表明，组间或组内随时间无显著差异（p＞0.05）。HFnu 结果显示，在四个时间点上存在显著的组间差异（p=0.004），具有中等效应量（ηp=0.240），但组内无显著差异（p＞0.05）。
整骨干预在一定程度上提高了 HRV，而有测量的呼吸则降低了 HRV。在首先接受整骨技术的组中，HFnu 值在整骨治疗后继续升高，这可能表明随着时间的推移，副交感神经效应逐渐增强。对未来研究的建议包括改变呼吸比率以确保副交感神经反应，考虑干预的潜在延迟效应，选择比 HRV 变化更小的结果测量指标，并延长随访时间。
本研究表明，枕下平衡韧带张力的应用可能会引起副交感神经刺激，而有测量的呼吸则会引起交感神经刺激。
