Osteovisceral afferent interrelations

The effects of stimulation of intraosseus receptors on visceral afferent reactions were studied in experiments on anesthetized cats. Stimulation of intraosseus receptors decreased the thresholds of evoked potentials recorded in the cerebral cortex in response to stimulation of the heart, stomach, and duodenum. It was concluded that stimulation of intraosseus receptors during osteopathy (e. g. increased intraosseus pressure) increases sensitivity of visceral sensory systems and can provoke the development of pain syndromes. It is important that visceral pain in such cases should be considered as a symptom of organ pathology, but not as a manifestation of vertebrovisceral syndrome.