October 8, 2003 – Osteopathic manipulations could reduce the frequency and duration of ear infections in children.
A study1 study carried out with 57 children suffering from chronic ear infections found that those who had been subjected to delicate manipulation of the head and neck needed less antibiotics than others. They also made less use of tubes surgically implanted in the ears.
Osteopaths manipulate muscles and bones to treat different problems, and they have traditionally used their knowledge to treat ear infections in children.
A larger study is now underway to verify the results of the first one.
Otitis media mainly affects young children since their eustachian tubes are narrow. Before the age of three, about 85% of children have had at least one episode of otitis media and half of them have had at least two. From the age of five or six, less than 10% suffer from it. This is because with age the eustachian tube widens, which reduces the stagnation of inflammatory fluids.
Jean-Benoit Legault – PasseportSanté.net
1. Mills MV, Henley CE, Barnes LL, Carreiro JE, Degenhardt BF. The use of osteopathic manipulative treatment as adjuvant therapy in children with recurrent acute otitis media. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2003 Sep; 157 (9): 861-6.
