Hi everyone, I'm Brian and this is Cody and we're coming at you from Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine with a research project titled the effects of osteopathic manipulative treatment on climbing performance. And we're going to have Cody here kind of walk us through the background and introduction. Thanks Brian. So our objective with this study was to evaluate the immediate and long-term benefits of OMT to the upper extremities in climbing athletes, specifically assessing grip strength and endurance. So why do we do this study? Rock climbing has surged in popularity recently driven by increased media attention resulting in increased public participation. Climbers place excessive strain on their upper extremities and fingers due to abnormal body positioning and intense finger grip use, raising the risk of injuries. Grip strength which is essential for climbing performance is also associated with various health outcomes including better cardiovascular health, lower mortality rates, and improved functional independence in daily activities among older adults. Previous studies have explored the effectiveness of manual therapies including the pre-treatment of osteopathic manipulative treatment and enhancing musculoskeletal function and performance in athletes. Research indicates that manual therapy targeting specific anatomical structures can improve joint mobility, reduce pain, and enhance overall performance. Meta-analyses suggest that reduced grip strength is linked to a higher risk of injury in both the general population and climbers. Research on interventions to enhance it, particularly in athletes though, is lacking. Therefore research on objective performance enhancement and injury prevention through pre-treatment of OMT in athletes is needed. This research aims to fill this gap. For our methods, this study was a randomized sham-controlled crossover study. We had 10 participants aged 18 to 35 years old with at least three months of climbing experience that were recruited through local climbing gyms in Albuquerque and Las Cruces, New Mexico. Inclusion criteria included general healthy young adults 18 to 35 with at least three months of climbing experience regardless of gender or biological sex. Exclusion criteria included but not limited to acute injuries such as ruptured finger tendons and tendonitis, chronic conditions such as arthritis, and any contraindications to OMT in pregnancy. Participants were randomly assigned to treatment or sham groups using a random number generator and Microsoft Excel. We had two protocols. We had the OMT and the sham. The OMT protocol targeted the upper extremities with two sessions a week over a four-week period followed by a one-week washout and then a sham intervention with the same frequency and duration. The OMT included Spencer's technique, radial head muscle energy, ulnar lecranon HVLA, myofascial release of the interosseous membrane of the forearm muscles, and carpal bone mobilization through myofascial release. The sham intervention involved holding the participant in a neutral position reflecting the OMT technique without active treatment. Grip strength and endurance were measured using a dynometer and overall hang time on a 20-millimeter edge, respectively, before and after the OMT and sham interventions. Results were analyzed using statistical analysis with one-way ANOVA comparing changes in performance metrics over the first, third, and sixth sessions and paired t-tests comparing pre- and post-intervention measurements for each session. All right, Brian, you can take it away for the results. Thanks, Cody. So with the OMT protocol, we saw significantly increased performance metrics with our post-treatment compared to our pre-treatment with that being our hang time increased by 4.06 seconds, our right grip strength increased by 4.51 pounds, and our left grip strength increased by 2.81 pounds. With the sham protocol showing us significant decreased performance metrics post-treatment compared to pre-treatment with our hang time being a decrease in 3.42 seconds and our left grip strength being decreased by 3.86 pounds, while there was no significant change in right grip strength metrics in the sham protocol. Our results also indicated that there was no significant differences between the OMT and sham treatment when we analyzed it longitudinally using our ANOVA analysis. So what does kind of all this mean? So while our OMT protocol demonstrated significant short-term improvements in our grip strength and endurance for our climbing athletes compared to the sham treatment, the study found that these effects did not persist over the long term. With that being said, further investigation is truly necessary to understand the factors contributing to this discrepancy including our intervention duration, our participant compliance, and as well as controlling for other confounding variables. Despite the lack of our sustained long-term effects, the observed significant improvement over sham treatment does support the efficacy of OMT as a valuable intervention for enhancing the athletic performance in the short-term for us climbers. Future research really needs to be to dive deeper into these findings kind of exploring the underlying mechanism and short-term benefits of OMT and addressing other methodological limitations to enhance our understandings of this so-called performance enhancement in our athletes and also in in health care. With that, the potential benefits of OMT really do extend beyond the realm of athletic performance. This includes applications to populations such as the elderly where grip strength has significant implications for fall risks, hospitalizations, and overall all-cause mortality. By broadening the scope of OMT to encompass these populations, we could potentially see like improvement in overall health outcomes and quality of life. With that being said, that does conclude this presentation. I just want to give a special thanks to Dr. Muvalla for sponsoring this project and as well as our school Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine and thanks for listening. Bye.

osteopathic manipulative treatment

climbing performance

grip strength

randomized sham-controlled

athletic health