Virginia Via Research Day Book 2026

Medical Resident Research Clinical

Kai Yuan Teng, DO; Gunnar Brolinson, DO; Julia Damron, MS, Bradley Hilger, Georgina Flynn-Smith Maj PhD; Vincent Wang PhD; David Risov, DO; Nicole Fremarek DO; Albert Kozar, DO Corresponding athor: kteng@vt.vcom.edu 01 THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY OF OMT ON THORACOLUMBAR FASCIA GLIDE IMPAIRMENT IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN

VCOM-Virginia, Blacksburg, Virginia

for glide impairment data and treatment effect relative to pain status, BMI, and physical exam findings. This analysis will compare baseline to 2 weeks post-OMT data. Results: We expect improvement in TLF glide impairment and pain status 2 weeks after OMT sessions. The data collectionis still in progress and will be included in the poster. Conclusion: OMT is expected to improve TLF glide impairment and CLBP symptoms, with preliminary evaluation at two weeks. This comprehensive study will continue assessments at 4, 6, 12, and 24 weeks to clarify treatment efficacy. Future studies could examine how glide restoration relates to clinical outcomes, identify patient subgroups most responsive toOMT, compare OMT with other therapeutic interventions to determine specific effects on fascial mobility, and further elucidate TLF biomarkers for CLBP from advanced imaging methods for quantifying TLF glide. This study was approved by the VCOM IRB,protocol number 2023-154.

Context: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a prevalent and disabling condition. Emerging evidence implicates the thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) as an important pain generator due to its dense innervation, inflammatory sensitivity, and impaired fascial gliding. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is widely used for low back pain, but evidenceremains mixed and lacks quantitative evaluation of fascial mechanics. Objective: This pilot pro-spective study aims to (a) assess the preliminary clinical efficacy of OMT for CLBP of TLF origin and (b) develop quantitative image-analysis methods to distinguish TLF characterist Context: Chronic low back pain (CLBP) is a prevalent and disabling condition. Emerging evidence implicates the thoracolumbar fascia (TLF) as an important pain generator due to its dense innervation, inflammatory sensitivity, and impaired fascial gliding. Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) is widely used for low back pain, but evidenceremains mixed and lacks quantitative evaluation of fascial mechanics. Objective: This pilot prospective study aims to (a) assess the preliminary clinical efficacy of OMT for CLBP of TLF origin and (b) develop quantitative image-analysis methods to dis-tinguish TLF characteristics in painful versus non-painful subjects. We hypothesize that OMT will improve TLF glide impairment and reduce pain in individuals with CLBP.

Methods: A convenience sample of 100 adults (50 without LBP; 50 with CLBP), aged 18–50 with BMI <30, completed standard surveys, functional tests, and a physical examination. Static ultrasound imaging (greyscale, Doppler, SWE) of the TLF was acquired at multiple transition zones using a SuperSonic MACH 30 system with a 5–18 MHz linear probe. Dy-namicTLF motion was recorded with a GE LOGIQ S8 and 15 MHz ML6-15 linear matrix probe. Seventy-second cine loops captured five cycles of passive 20° torso flexion gener-ated by a motorized table with lumbar motion localized at L3–L4.Cineloops also captured 5 active straight leg raise cycles to 12-16 inches in height, both ipsilateral and contrala-teral, with lumbar motion localized at T12-L1. Subjects qualified for OMT if they demon-strated passive or active glide impairment or physical examination findings implicating the TLF. Eligible participants received three OMT sessions, each two weeks apart, utilizing a principle-based assessment approach forming specific treatment for each subject. Sur-veys and physical exam were repeated at each visit.Two weeks after the final session, par-ticipants underwent f/up analysis including repeat surveys, functional tests, physicalex-am, and both static and dynamic ultrasound imaging at 2, 4, 6, 12 & 24 weeks. Ultrasound data will be analyzed for changes in TLF glide. Pre-post analysis will utilize linear mixed models

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130 Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM)