Preliminary Evaluation of an Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) to Prevent Motion Sickness Symptoms

Motion sickness directly impacts the readiness of the Army's aviation units. Severe motion sickness results in the dismissal of pilot and air crew candidates during initial training, while minor to moderate symptoms can be distracting during flight. The current medications on the market that target motion sickness symptoms are prohibited for use before flight. Osteopathic Manipulative Techniques are a low to no cost option, which lacks side effects, that allows Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine flight surgeons the opportunity to treat crew members without the use of pharmaceuticals. If effective, these techniques could be used to ensure aircrew readiness. Given the paucity of research on such a technique, a small, pilot study was conducted to demonstrate potential for such an approach.

Inclusion Criteria:Must have normal hearing, vision or corrected to normal vision, and cognitive function as determined by self-report and review on demographics and personal history questionnaire.Must have obtained at minimum 6 hours of sleep prior to data collection, as assessed by self-report.Must have refrained from consumption of alcohol and Medications that impact motion sickness symptoms for a minimum of 16 hours prior to each test session, assessed by self-report.Exclusion Criteria:Must not be currently taking any medications that may affect the vestibular system as assessed by self-report and at the discretion of the study physician.Must not have a history of vestibular disorders as assessed by self-report.