Comparison of low frequency heart rate oscillations and the palpated cranial rhythmic impulse.
Item
- Title
- Comparison of low frequency heart rate oscillations and the palpated cranial rhythmic impulse.
- Author(s)
- Samuel, L
- Abstract
- Introduction The palpation of the cranial rhythmic impulse is a key tenet of cranial osteopathy. Previous research has shown a link between the palpated cranial rhythmic impulse (CRI) and low frequency blood pressure oscillations. These oscillations are reflected in heart rate variations and can be extracted using Fourier analysis. A comparison can therefore be made between low frequency heart rate oscillations and the palpated CRI. Previously only blood pressure oscillations in the patient have been compared to the CRI. This study compared low frequency heart rate oscillations of both the patient and the practitioner to the palpated CRI, and also attempted to sum the two oscillations for comparison with the CRI. The study used low cost heart rate monitors that have been shown to be as valid as 12-lead electrocardiograms to collect heart rate data.Method Heart rate data was collected using Polar heart rate monitors simultaneously from the osteopath and the patient whilst the osteopath verbalised palpated events in the cranial rhythmic impulse, which where recorded by an observer. The data was subjected to fast Fourier transform, filtering, and inverse Fourier transform, to extract low frequency oscillatory waveforms which were then compared to palpation markers for the CRI using an odds ratio methodology. Results Results showed no significant correlation between palpated CRI and low frequency heart rate oscillation minima and maxima, either for the patient or the osteopath. Summation of the two oscillations was not amenable to analysis.Discussion Some practitioners were found to palpate the CRI within similar parameters to those found in the literature and others were outside them. It is possible that practitioner selection should have been factored-in to experimental design. The methodology employed is practicable, if somewhat experimental and the study would benefit from greater numbers. Improved methods for analysis of the summed data might be developed. ConclusionNo correlation was found between low frequency heart rate oscillations and palpated CRI. Further work with osteopaths who palpate at an appropriate frequency is indicated. Though the methodology employed might also be developed and refined, the study was able to show that this low cost method of extraction of heart rate oscillations for comparison with the CRI is practical.
- presented at
- European School of Osteopathy
- Date Accepted
- 2014
- Date Submitted
- 20.1.2015 16:43:40
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 15527
- Inst-Identifier
- 1229
- Keywords
- HRV, PRM , CRI
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Samuel, L, “Comparison of low frequency heart rate oscillations and the palpated cranial rhythmic impulse.”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 1, 2025, https://www.osteopathic-research.com/s/orw/item/637