The Effect of Facial Effleurage on Acute Rhinosinusitis

Rhinosinusitis accounts for 12% of the total antibiotic prescriptions filled in the United States annually; however, the majority of rhinosinusitis cases have been proposed to have a viral etiology, or are capable of spontaneously resolving. This overuse of antibiotics is contributing to the development of antibiotic-resistant human pathogenic bacteria, and increasing patient mortality to previously easily cured diseases. This is also causing an unnecessary financial burden especially for uninsured, rural families. Facial Effleurage (FE) is an osteopathic manipulative therapy that allows physicians an alternative therapy to prescribing antibiotics; however, the only scientific literature on the technique is weak in design and execution. This will be a randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial to test the ability of FE to reduce symptom severity over time, reduce the cellular infiltrate into the nasal cavity, and to more quickly resolve the symptoms of rhinosinusitis compared to antibiotic treatment. This methodical approach to the efficacy of FE has the potential to impact the treatment recommendations of physicians immediately, and to convince more physicians to prescribe less antibiotics and rely more heavily on FE.