3-D Posture Analysis-Based Modification After Manual Therapy: A Clinical Study

Background: /Objectives: Manual therapies like Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) and Gentle Touch Intervention (GTI) are widely employed for improving posture and spinal alignment, but their effects measured through advanced technologies remain underexplored. This study aims to evaluate the short-term postural effects of these interventions using a non-invasive three-dimensional rasterstereography-based approach, focusing on cervical arrow, lumbar arrow, kyphotic angle, and lordotic angle parameters. Methods: A three-armed randomized controlled trial was conducted with 165 healthy participants. Subjects were divided into control (CTRL), OMT, and GTI groups. Postural parameters were assessed pre- and post-intervention using the Spine3D system. Statistical analyses included paired t-tests and ANOVA, with significance set at p<0.05. Results: Significant reductions in the cervical arrow were observed in both OMT (p<0.005) and GTI (p<0.05) groups, while the kyphotic angle significantly improved only in the GTI group (p<0.05). No significant changes were found in lumbar arrow or lordotic angle across groups. The control group showed no postural variations, reinforcing the specificity of the interventions. Conclusions: Both OMT and GTI influence spinal posture, particularly in the cervical and thoracic regions. GTI, with its gentle approach, demonstrated unique effects on thoracic curvature, suggesting neurophysiological mechanisms. These findings highlight the potential of manual therapies for posture modulation and suggest future research to explore their long-term benefits and applications in clinical populations.