A team of Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM) scholars is contributing important new evidence to the growing field of integrative migraine care.
Christian Roberti, Victoria M. Estevez, Prajna Vootukuri, Sara Pothen, Kai Yasuda, and Zachary Esch, all fourth year scholars at LECOM-Bradenton, conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis examining whether osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) can reduce the frequency of migraine attacks in adults. The study was completed under the mentorship of Robert W. Hostoffer, D.O., and was recently published in the Journal of Osteopathic Medicine.
Entitled Efficacy of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment in Reducing Monthly Migraine Days: A Meta-Analysis, the publication evaluates evidence from randomized controlled trials involving adults with migraine. The LECOM-led research team found that patients receiving OMT experienced a statistically significant reduction in monthly migraine days compared with those receiving control interventions.
These findings support OMT as a potential adjunctive option in comprehensive migraine management. For patients who continue to experience symptoms despite conventional treatment or for those who are seeking additional nonpharmacologic approaches, osteopathic care may offer a valuable component of an individualized treatment plan.
The study is especially notable because it reflects the scholarly contributions of LECOM medical students. Through their work, Roberti, Estevez, Vootukuri, Pothen, Yasuda, and Esch demonstrate the important role that osteopathic medical students can play in advancing clinical research and evaluating treatments relevant to patient care.
The authors also underscore that OMT should complement, rather than replace, established migraine therapies. They note considerable variability among the available studies, including differences in OMT techniques, treatment schedules, patient populations, and outcome measures. This variability limits the ability to determine which specific approaches are most effective and which patients are most likely to benefit.
The LECOM scholars identify several priorities for future research, including standardized OMT protocols, consistent measurement of monthly migraine days, larger randomized clinical trials, and more rigorous study designs. Addressing these issues will help clarify the clinical effectiveness of OMT and support stronger evidence-based recommendations.
This publication strengthens the evidence base for osteopathic approaches to migraine care while highlighting the meaningful research contributions of LECOM students and faculty mentors.