Clinical Research

Clinical research is the driving force behind clinical excellence. The British College of Osteopathic Medicine is committed to providing the very best in clinical practice. To achieve this the College has for many years maintained a first-class research laboratory with the very latest iequipment in order to instil a strong clinical research culture within the College and Clinic.

Clinical research projects are carried out by both students and faculty, at undergraduate and postgraduate degree level. The aim of these projects is, in most cases, to add to the weight of evidence underlying osteopathic techniques and principles. We believe it is important to maintain this questioning and investigative approach to ensure that our patients receive the most effective physical treatment, exercise for specific injury, hydrotherapy, dietary advice or other treatment modality.

All our research projects have to receive approval from the ethics committee. From time to time patients may be invited to take part in a research project. This may consist of nothing more than answering a straightforward questionnaire, or possibly taking part in an experimental study, where for example equipment may be used to measure certain effects of treatment, for example range of movement.

Information about these projects will appear on notice boards both within the Clinic reception and also on this website. Patient participation is of course entirely voluntary; however, many patients find these projects an interesting and not unpleasant experience and find some satisfaction is gained by taking part in studies which may directly benefit other patients in the future.

Examples of recent research projects are:
Janossa M., Hepp F. & Walters N.
The effect of osteopathic treatment on tennis players with shoulder pain.
XXVII FIMS World Congress of Sports Medicine, Budapest, Hungary. (2002)

Lipman T., & Walters N.
The effects of hydrotherapy on muscle function.
XXVII FIMS World Congress of Sports Medicine, Budapest, Hungary. (2002)

Karason A.,& Drysdale I.P
Somato-visceral response following Osteopathic HVLAT: The effect of unilateral lumbo-sacral high velocity low amplitude thrust technique on the cutaneous blood flow in the lower limb.
(2002) JMPT accepted for publication

Tanya Lipman and Nick Walters
Alternate Hot and Cold Hydrotherapy Enhances Muscle Function.
3rd International Conference on Advances in Osteopathic Research (ICAOR), Melbourne, Australia. (2002)

Iona Bramati-Castellarin & Margit Janossa, MD
Effect of Visceral Osteopathy on the gastrointestinal abnormalities in children with autistic discorders.
3rd International Conference on Advances in Osteopathic Research (ICAOR), Melbourne, Australia. (2002)

Matthew Wallden and Nick Walters
Lumbo-pelvic associations with hamstring strain in professional soccer players.
3rd International Conference on Advances in Osteopathic Research (ICAOR), Melbourne, Australia. (2002)

Manoj Mehta and Paul Hatton
The relationship between the duration of sub-maximal Isometric contraction (MET) and improvement in the range of passive knee extension.
3rd International Conference on Advances in Osteopathic Research (ICAOR), Melbourne, Australia.(2002)

Ian Drysdale, Heather Hinkley and Manoj Mehta.
Upper limb muscle development in osteopathic trainees.
3rd International Conference on Advances in Osteopathic Research (ICAOR), Melbourne, Australia. (2002)

Drysdale I.P., Hinkley H.J., Bird D., Walters N.J.
Calcaneal Broadband Ultrasound Attenuation Changes over a Twelve Month Period. #SU146
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, 23rd Annual Meeting, USA. (2001)

Hinkley H.J., Drysdale I.P., Bird D., Walters N.J.
A Normative data for Ultrasound measurement of the Calcaneus within a Male Caucasian population. #SA104.
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, 23rd Annual Meeting, Phoenix, USA. (2001)

Drysdale I.P., Hinkley H.J., Walters NJ., Shale M., Bird D.
Bilateral Calcaneal Differences as Measured by Three Bone Densitometers Employing Ultrasound and X-ray Methodology - Part II.
Journal of Clinical Densitometry, 4 (4) (2001) 337-341

Drysdale I.P., Hinkley H.J., Shale M., Bird D., Walters, N.J.
Bilateral Variation of Calcaneal Broadband Ultrasound Attenuation (BUA) - Part I
Journal of Clinical Densitometry, 4 (1) (2001) 37-42.

Karason A., Drysdale I.P.
The effects on the vascular system of spinal manipulative treatment.
2nd International Conference on Advances in Osteopathic Research (ICAOR), London. (2000)

Karnani, H., Walters N.J.
Muscle Energy Technique: The effect on joint mobility and agonist/antagonist muscle activity.
2nd International Conference on Advances in Osteopathic Research (ICAOR), London. (2000)

Hinkley H.J., Drysdale I.P., Walters NJ., Shale M., Bird D.
Normative data for Ultrasound measurement of the Calcaneus within a Female Chinese population. #SU312.
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, 22nd Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada. (2000)

Drysdale I.P., Hinkley H.J., Walters. NJ., Shale M., Bird D.
Assessment of changes in Calcaneal Broadband Ultrasound Attenuation over time. #SU313.
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, 22nd Annual Meeting, Toronto, Canada. (2000)

Drysdale I. P., Kirk L., Mehta M. M., and Walters N. J.
Efficacy of Osteopathic treatment for Low Back Pain.
1st International Conference on Advances in Osteopathic Research (ICAOR), London. (1999)

Hinkley H.J., Drysdale I.P., Walters NJ., Shale M., Bird D.
Normative data for Ultrasound Measurement of the Calcaneus within the Female African Caribbean population. #F232.
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, 21st Annual Meeting, St Louis, USA. (1999)

Drysdale I.P., Hinkley H.J., Walters NJ., Shale M., Bird D.
Bilateral Calcaneal Differences as Measured by Three Bone Densitometers Employing. Ultrasound and X-ray Methodology #F231.
American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, 21st Annual Meeting St Louis, USA. (1999).

Drysdale I.P.
What is Osteopathy?
Family Medicine (1999)

Drysdale I. P., Kirk L., Mehta M. M., and Walters N. J.
A clinical audit of the Osteopathic approach to treatment of Low Back Pain.
EULAR (European League against Arthritis) XIV Congress, Glasgow, Scotland. (1999)

Walters N. J., Drysdale I. P.
The influence of physical activity on Coronary Heart Disease in male executives.
American College of Sports Medicine, 46th Annual Conference, Seattle, USA (1999)

Hinkley, H.J., Drysdale I.P., Shale M., Bird D.
Normative data for Ultrasound Measurement of the Calcaneus within a Female Asian population.
American Society of Bone and Mineral Research/International Bone and Mineral Society, Second Joint Meeting, San Francisco, USA. (1998)

Drysdale I.P., Hinkley H.J., Shale, M., Bird D.
Bilateral variation of Calcaneal Broadband Ultrasound Attenuation.
American Society of Bone and Mineral Research/International Bone and Mineral Society, Second Joint Meeting, San Francisco, USA. (1998)

Carpenter, R and Walters, N.J.,
The linear response of VO2 kinetics with specific changes in work protocol.
26th FIMS World Congress of Sports Medicine, Orlando. (1998)

Carpenter, R, Walters, N.J.
Oxygen consumption drift during constant running above the ventilatory threshold.
4th IOC World Congress on Sports Sciences, Monte Carlo. (1997)

Burtt, R. and Walters, N.J.,
Overtraining syndrome in rugby union players.
British Journal of Osteopathy (1997) Vol XX 7-13

Carpenter, R. and N.J. Walters
The slow rise in oxygen consumption during constant running above and below the ventilatory threshold.
Journal of Sports, Science (1997) 15

Drysdale I.P.
Osteopathy: improving the status of alternative healthcare.
Occupational Health (London) 1996 (48) 430-431.

Hinkley H.J., Mehta M., Drysdale I.P.
The Digital Myograph in Isometric Muscle Testing - Reliability and Pilot Study Of Upper Lmb Muscle Development in Osteopathic Trainees.
Musculoskeletal Management. 1995 Vol 1 Number 2 pp63-72.

Hinkley H.J., Drysdale I.P.
Audit of 1000 patients attending the clinic of the British College of Naturopathy and Osteopathy.
The British Osteopathic Journal. 1995. Vol XVI pp17-22.