Osteopathic and Complementary Manual Therapy in Musculoskeletal Pain and Dysfunction

Dear Colleagues,

Musculoskeletal pain and dysfunction often result in disability and a reduced quality of life. Osteopathic and complementary manual therapies offer promising non-pharmacological approaches to managing these conditions by addressing biomechanical, neurological, and psychosocial factors. Despite their enhanced clinical utilization, further high-quality research is needed to elucidate their underlying mechanisms, optimize treatment protocols, and evaluate long-term outcomes.

We are pleased to invite you to contribute to this Special Issue entitled "Osteopathic and Complementary Manual Therapy in Musculoskeletal Pain and Dysfunction." This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive platform for advancing research regarding the efficacy, mechanisms, and applications of these therapies within the scope of musculoskeletal healthcare. By compiling innovative research, we seek to bridge the gap between clinical practice and scientific evidence, fostering a deeper understanding of manual therapy interventions.

In this Special Issue, we welcome original research articles and reviews whose scope includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

• Clinical trials and observational studies on osteopathic and manual therapies for musculoskeletal pain;
• The physiological and neurological effects of manual interventions on patient outcomes and symptom management;
• Comparative studies between osteopathic techniques and other therapeutic approaches to pain management;
• Innovations in patient-centred assessment and treatment strategies;
• Biomechanical analysis of osteopathic techniques and their clinical relevance;
• The psychosocial and quality-of-life aspects of manual therapy in pain management;
• Preventive applications of osteopathic and complementary manual therapy;
• Education and training for enhancing clinical outcomes in osteopathy and manual therapy.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Rafał Gnat
Dr. Anna Gogola
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• manual therapy
• osteopathy
• complementary therapy
• musculoskeletal pain
• musculoskeletal dysfunction
• compensatory changes