Table 2. Overview of characteristics of included studies.
| first author (year) | country | study population | osteopathic intervention | intervention duration | follow-up* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andersson (1999) | US | patients 20-59y LBP ≥3w-≤6m | custom tailored | 12w (8 sessions) | NA |
| Licciardone (2003) | US | patients 21-69y non-specific LBP ≥3m | custom tailored | 5m (7 sessions) | 4w |
| UK BEAM (2004) | UK | patients LBP | semi-standardized | 12w (8 sessions) | 9m |
| McReynolds (2005) | US | patients neck pain <3w | semi-standardized | one session | NA |
| Peters (2006) | Germany | pregnant (20-30w) women LBP | custom tailored | 4w (4 sessions) | NA |
| Heinze (2006) | Germany | patients 18-65y LBP ≥3w-≤6m | custom tailored | 6w (2–3 sessions) | 6w |
| Chown (2008) | UK | patients 18-65y >3m simple LBP | semi-standardized | 3m (5 sessions) | 9m |
| Recknagel (2008) | Germany | women 18-46y post-partum BP ≥3m-≤24m | custom tailored | 6w (4 sessions) | 6w |
| Schwerla (2008) | Germany | patients 20-55y ≥3m non-specific neck pain | custom tailored | 10w (5 sessions) | 3m |
| Engemann (2009) | Germany | patients 18-60y chronic non-specific neck pain | custom tailored | 6 sessions** | 3m |
| Licciardone (2010) | US | pregnant women (≤30w) BP | semi-standardized | 10w (7 sessions) | NA |
| Cruser (2012) | US | military staff 18-35y acute LBP | semi-standardized | 4w (4 sessions) | 4w |
| Vismara (2012) | Italy | obese females (BMI>30kg/m2chronic LBP >6m | semi-standardized | 10 sessions** | NA |
| Licciardone (2013a) | US | diabetes mellitus patients 21-69y LBP | semi-standardized | 8w (6 sessions) | 4w |
| Licciardone (2013b) | US | non-pregnant adults 21-69y LBP ≥3m | semi-standardized | 8w (6 sessions) | 4w |
| Belz (2015) | Germany | women 18-42y post-partum non-specific BP ≥3m | custom tailored | 10w (5 sessions) | 3m |
| Hensel (2015) | US | pregnant (30w) women 18-35y LBP | standardized | 10w (7 sessions) | NA |
| Schwerla (2015) | Germany | women 18-42y post-partum LBP or pelvic girdle pain ≥3m | custom tailored | 6w (4 sessions) | 2w |
| Licciardone (2016) | US | patients 21-69y non-specific LBP ≥3m | semi-standardized | 8w (6 sessions) | 4w |
*time period starting after the last treatment session
**no information on intervention duration provided
BP, back pain; LBP, low back pain; m, months; NA, not applicable; w, weeks; y, year