Background: Professional musicians frequently suffer from musculoskeletal complaints and disorders (MCD), which can be treated by osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT). The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness and efficacy of OMT in adult musicians.
Methods: A systematic literature search included the electronic databases PubMed/MEDLINE, Medpilot, EBSCOhost, BioMedCentral, OSTMED-Dr, osteopathic-research.com, PEDro, hand searches, and contact to European osteopathic academies. Interventional and observational studies published between January 1999 and January 2019, of professional or amateur musicians who were either healthy or had MCD treated by OMT, were included. The quality of the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was assessed by the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) Scale ranging between 0 and 10 points.
Results: Only 5 studies were identified investigating OMT in musicians, including 1 RCT (cross-over design), 3 clinical controlled trials, and 1 case report. The internal validity of the RCT was assessed as 6 points. OMT was reported to have a positive impact on healthy singers, improving phonation time, voice quality, and voice range. It also improved the cervical range of motion in violinists. No adverse events were observed, although only the cross-over RCT reported partly an assessment of adverse events.
Conclusions: The evidence for OMT in adult musicians is very limited. Prospective controlled clinical trials investigating OMT in musicians are required.