Effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment in patients with cervicothoracic pain: pilot study using thermography.

To provide information on how cervicothoracic pain responds to osteopathic manipulative treatment, five subjects with acute or chronic pain received appropriate medication and three osteopathic manipulative treatments by the principal investigator using thrust and nonthrust techniques. The mean number of findings by both investigators on structural examination decreased considerably immediately after each of the three treatments. The number of findings increased in week 2 and decreased in week 3. The principal investigator observed a further decrease by the final session, but the coinvestigator reported an increase. The pain scale score improved an average of nearly 30%. Thermography showed cooling of the cervicothoracic region in all subjects and conversion to a normal pattern in four. Osteopathic manipulative treatment should be considered for patients with acute or chronic cervicothoracic pain. The use of thermographic analysis in clinical osteopathic research seems warranted.