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MEDICAL STUDY INDICATES THAT OSTEOPATHIC MANIPULATIVE TREATMENT (OMT) REDUCES MEDICATION NEEDED TO TREAT POST-SURGICAL PAIN

Philadelphia, (November 15, 1999) -- A recent study led by Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM)'s Frederick Goldstein, Ph.D., found that administering osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) after major surgery significantly reduced patients' needs for pain medication. This study is the first to provide objective data on the effect of OMT in reducing pain after a hysterectomy. The investigation measured the amount of morphine in the blood of patients that was required to treat pain, in addition to patients' perceptions of their pain levels.

Dr. Goldstein led the study, along with Saul Jeck, DO, chairman of the obstetrics and gynecology department at PCOM; Alex Nicholas, DO, chairman of PCOM's osteopathic manipulative medicine department and Elkins Park physician Marvin Berman, DO. The team reported their preliminary results at the national meeting of the American Pain Society in late October. The double-blind study evaluated 33 patients at City Avenue Hospital (Tenet Healthcare Corp) in Philadelphia.

"Dealing with pain is one of the most pervasive medical issues facing healthcare professionals, from primary care to specialty fields," said Dr. Goldstein. "By measuring an amount of morphine in the blood in addition to a subjective perception of pain, this study is breakthrough scientific proof that OMT has a crucial role in treating patients who are in pain." Leonard H. Finkelstein, DO, president and chief executive officer at PCOM, said "PCOM believes and teaches the osteopathic approach to medicine, treating a patient's body, lifestyle and behavior as a whole. Dr. Goldstein's research reinforces that this osteopathic medicine is a value-added medical approach for physicians."

OMT is a medical treatment that focuses on the body's interconnected system of nerves, muscles and bones, to foster a better understanding of how an injury or illness in one part of the body can affect another. Doctors use their hands to diagnose injury and illness, and manipulate the musculoskeletal system to encourage the body's natural tendency to heal itself.

Dr. Goldstein's study measured the amount of morphine administered through patient controlled analgesia pumps following a hysterectomy. Only patients who were unfamiliar with OMT were asked to participate in the study. The experiment contained two variables:

1) Saline vs. morphine -- In addition to the normal medications administered during a hysterectomy, patients received an additional injection of either saline or morphine immediately before surgery.

2) OMT vs. Sham OMT -- After surgery, doctors administered either OMT, or Sham OMT (in which the physician placed his/her hands on specific areas on the patients, but did not perform manipulation).

-- The study found that, irrespective of morphine or saline administered before surgery, post-surgical OMT substantially reduced the amount of morphine that patients needed during a 48-hour period to control pain after undergoing hysterectomies. The effect was most significant at 24 hours for those who received morphine before surgery and OMT following the hysterectomy. These preliminary findings further suggest that OMT 1) had a greater effect than drugs in reducing post-operative pain and 2) works to reduce pain regardless of the morphine/saline variable (see attached charts). The research team measured blood levels of morphine by radioimmunoassay (RIA) every 12 hours during the 48-hour post-operative period.

-- "Once again, OMT has proven to be an effective and cost-saving form of treatment," said Eugene A. Oliveri, DO, president of the American Osteopathic Association. "In addition, this research serves as an adjunct to the study published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine proving that OMT is an effective form of treatment for low back pain. Together, these two studies help to reinforce that OMT works and can be used as another treatment option that is more cost-effective with fewer side effects for patients."

Dr. Goldstein and his team plan to release additional results from this study within six months. Dr. Goldstein indicated that this research was a natural extension of his former study, which demonstrated that giving patients an additional dose of morphine immediately before a hysterectomy helps reduce pain after surgery.

Frederick J. Goldstein, Ph.D., is the director of the Cancer Pain Research Center and a professor of clinical pharmacology at PCOM. Dr. Goldstein obtained his Ph.D. in pharmacology from University of the Sciences in Philadelphia. He also serves as clinical research associate in the department of anesthesiology, and is the chairman of the Institutional Review Board at City Avenue Hospital.

Dr. Goldstein is a member of the editorial board for The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology and The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.

PCOM is the largest osteopathic medical school in the country and the nation's fifth largest medical college. PCOM is committed to educating primary care physicians -- physicians who have been fostering personal relationships and healthy families in their communities for over 100 years. As a leader in primary care, over 65 percent of PCOM's graduates choose careers in family practice, general internal medicine, obstetrics/gynecology and pediatrics (www.pcom.edu).

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Results of OMT on pain following a hysterectomy

Study conducted by Frederick Goldstein, Ph.D., Saul Jeck, DO and Alex Nicholas, DO, of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) and Elkins Park physician Marvin Berman, DO

Group Pre-Op Post-Op
1 Saline Sham OMT
2 Saline OMT
3 Morphine Sham OMT
4 Morphine OMT