Three-Dimensional Posture Analysis-Based Modifications After Manual Therapy: A Preliminary 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 as measured using 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 the cervical arrow, lumbar arrow, kyphotic angle, and lordotic angle parameters. Methods: A three-armed randomized controlled trial was conducted with 165 healthy participants. The subjects were divided into control (CTRL), OMT, and GTI groups. Their postural parameters were assessed pre- and post-intervention using the Spine3D system by Sensor Medica (Guidonia Montecelio, Italy). The statistical analyses included paired t-tests and an ANOVA, with the significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Significant reductions in the cervical arrow were observed in both the 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 the lumbar arrow or the lordotic angle across the 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 the thoracic curvature, suggesting neurophysiological mechanisms. These findings highlight the potential of manual therapies for posture modulation and suggest future research should explore their long-term benefits and applications in clinical populations.