What is the most effective therapy in the treatment of tinnitus, comparing physical therapy versus CBT? A review of randomised controlled trials
Item
- Title
- What is the most effective therapy in the treatment of tinnitus, comparing physical therapy versus CBT? A review of randomised controlled trials
- Author(s)
- Schaefer, K
- Abstract
- Background Tinnitus is a widespread, often disabling condition where phantom sounds are perceived, without an external source. A cure has not yet been found for tinnitus but recommendations exist for managing the condition related destress and quality of life. The current NICE guidelines mention sound therapy, CBT and the use of hearing aids as treatment options. Current management focuses on reducing the distress caused by tinnitus rather than addressing the perception of sound. More recent studies have found that manual therapy might positively influence tinnitus. Objective The purpose of this review is to search the existing literature on manual therapy and CBT interventions for the treatment of tinnitus so as to compare and determine the most effective treatment. Design Structured literature review Methods Four databases were searched for suitable articles published between 2010 and 2019 applying Boolean logic. The findings were screened according to inclusion/exclusion criteria to address the research question. Date was extracted and methodological quality was assessed using the Delphi list. Results Fifteen eligible studies were identified and included in the final review. The all-over quality of the studies was moderate. None of the studies obtained ultimate scoring. Data analysis throughout the trails indicated statistically significant change in terms of evaluated p-values. Although, a comparability between the intervention types was impossible due to the lack of reported effect sizes. Discussion Participants across the studies improved in some of the investigated outcome measures, however an interpretation of findings was limited by large heterogeneity. The methodological quality assessment showed moderate to low quality across both, CBT and manual therapy trails. Conclusion Both manual therapy and CBT have shown efficacy as modalities in the treatment of tinnitus. The deficiency of effect size reporting and the heterogeneity in outcome measures makes comparisons between treatment modalities challenging. Future research should incorporate greater homogeneity across procedures and outcome measures, and consider subtypes of tinnitus and demographics to help establish individual-specific treatment approaches.
- presented at
- European School of Osteopathy
- Date Accepted
- 2020
- Date Submitted
- 28.10.2020 18:08:19
- Type
- osteo_thesis
- Language
- English
- Submitted by:
- 62
- Pub-Identifier
- 16691
- Inst-Identifier
- 1229
- Keywords
- Tinnitus, Literature Review, CBT, Physical Therapy.
- Recommended
- 0
- Item sets
- Thesis
Schaefer, K, “What is the most effective therapy in the treatment of tinnitus, comparing physical therapy versus CBT? A review of randomised controlled trials”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 8, 2025, https://www.osteopathicresearch.com/s/orw/item/164