Study on Lymphatic Pump Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy to Reduce Symptoms and Duration of Respiratory Illness in Older Adults

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are investigating whether Osteopathic Manipulative Therapy OMT, specifically the lymphatic pump technique, can help reduce symptoms and shorten the duration of respiratory illnesses such as upper respiratory illness, sinusitis, bronchitis, and pneumonia. This study focuses on patients aged 65 to 100 years and evaluates if adding OMT to standard care can improve patient outcomes compared to standard care alone. Respiratory illnesses commonly cause discomfort, reduced productivity, and missed work, and OMT is a low-cost treatment used to support immune response and fluid movement. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two groups one receiving standard care alone, which may include medications and follow-up instructions, and the other receiving standard care plus the lymphatic pump OMT. This OMT procedure involves manual pressure and physical stimulation over various body regions such as the head, neck, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, pelvis, arms, legs, and abdomen to stimulate immune response and help clear infections. The study will take place in an outpatient setting, with patients being treated and monitored accordingly. During the study, participants will complete electronic surveys on the day of diagnosis and five days later to report symptoms like cough, congestion, and overall malaise. These symptom reports will be securely stored and analyzed to assess changes in severity and illness duration. The primary goal is to determine how much the lymphatic pump OMT can improve symptoms and reduce sickness length when added to standard care. The study will follow participants for up to one year, with careful monitoring of symptom progression and treatment effects.

How OMT Benefits Newly Diagnosed Patients With Respiratory Illness When Given Alongside Other Standard Care.