Effectiveness of a Manual Therapy Program as Adjuvant Treatment for School-Age Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
A Randomized Pilot Study
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 16911814 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Vanessa Bayo-Tallón (0000-0001-9611-4720, Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona, corresponding author), Jordi Esquirol-Caussa, Jordi Esquirol Caussa (0000-0001-8802-8400, Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona), Montserrat Pàmias-Massana (Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona), Kalia Planells-Keller (Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona), Ana Cascos-Rodríguez, Diego Palao (0000-0002-3323-6568, Universitat Autonòma de Barcelona), Diego J Palao-Vidal |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Publication date | 2020-10-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | SAGE Open (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2158-2440 • E-ISSN: 2158-2440 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/2158244020983023 |
| OpenAlex | W3118138428 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 44 |
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurobiological disorder. Common symptoms are inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, and executive functions deficit, often with comorbidities. Main treatment involves pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies (cognitive-behavioral therapy, psycho-pedagogical programs). Emerging non-pharmacological treatments include manual therapies (MTs) in mental health. Several MT techniques have shown effectiveness in ADHD. The objectives of this study are as follows: (a) to assess short-term effects and persistence of an MT program on neuropsychological (hyperactivity index through the Conners’ Global Index [CGI]) and neurophysiological (time–frequency domain parameters of heart rate variability [HRV]) variables in ADHD children, and (b) to test the feasibility of the design. This study was approved by the Parc Tauli Corporation Clinical Research Ethics Board (#2017311). Pilot, controlled, multidisciplinary study of eight children with ADHD randomly assigned to control group (CG; n = 4) and intervention group (IG; n = 4). Both followed multimodal treatment, and IG also received an MT program per week for 4 weeks. A physiotherapist and a psychologist analyzed short-term effects (1-week post-program) and persistence (36 weeks). Eight children (boys, 62.5%; girls, 37.5%) with an average age of 10.375 ± 0.74 years were included. Baseline HRV parameters showed basal sympathetic predominance. The MT program increased the parasympathetic activity, which was significantly maintained at 1 to 36 weeks; there were no changes in CG. One-week post-program IG showed significant CGI reduction (–7 points, p = .016*), CG without changes ( p = .41), with significant differences CG – IG ( p = .0097*), and very large effect size ( d = 2.235); 36 weeks post-program showed no effects (IG, p = .293; CG, p = .247), without differences CG – IG ( p = .369). The MT program reduced the hyperactivity index with a 1-week persistence and increased the parasympathetic activity with a 36-week persistence. More investigations are needed to generalize the outcomes. Additional research is planned to further explore the possibilities of MT in psychiatric disorders with autonomic imbalances
Impulsivity · Physical therapy · Randomized controlled trial · Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder · Clinical Psychology · Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control · Medicine · Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies · Psychology · Internal Medicine
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Heart Rate Variability and Cardiac Vagal Tone in Psychophysiological Research – Recommendations for Experiment Planning, Data Analysis, and Data Reporting
Heart Rate Variability as an Index of Regulated Emotional Responding
SPIRIT 2013 Statement
Heart rate variability
The Revised Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS-R)
Clinical significance
A Meta-Analysis of Massage Therapy Research
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |