---
title: Hands on treatment improves sleep
nct_id: NCT06671600
phase: NA
status: RECRUITING
sponsor: New York Institute of Technology
study_type: INTERVENTIONAL
canonical_url: "https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06671600"
clinicaltrials_gov: "https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06671600"
last_fetched: "2026-06-29T14:02:39.831Z"
source: "Parkinson's Pathways (curated)"
---
# Hands on treatment improves sleep

**Goal (in five words):** Hands on treatment improves sleep

**Official Title:** Effects of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment Protocol on Sleep Quality in Parkinson's Disease Subjects

**Trial ID:** [NCT06671600](https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06671600)

## Key Facts

- **Phase:** NA
- **Status:** RECRUITING
- **Study Type:** INTERVENTIONAL
- **Sponsor:** New York Institute of Technology
- **Target Enrollment:** 32 participants
- **Start Date:** 2025-08-01
- **Completion Date:** 2027-12-31
- **Conditions:** Parkinsons Disease, Sleep
- **Interventions:** Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment, Sham (No Treatment)
- **Intervention Types:** PROCEDURE

## Summary For Families

They want to find out whether osteopathic manipulative treatment, a hands-on therapy that gently works on muscles and joints in the head, neck, upper back, and ribs, can improve sleep quality, thinking, and everyday activities for people with Parkinson's who have trouble sleeping. Participants will get either the hands-on treatment or a light touch control, and the team will compare self-reported sleep, Fitbit sleep data, and performance on a thinking test that measures how well someone handles conflicting information. The study is for adults with a neurologist-confirmed Parkinson's diagnosis who have mild to moderate symptoms (stages 0 to 3 on the common severity scale), have sleep complaints, can lie on their back and stomach and wear a Fitbit and oxygen ring, and are not taking medicines or have other sleep or neurological conditions that would affect the results.

## What This Actually Involves

**Placebo** _(From the protocol)_: This trial has 2 groups, and 1 is a sham (a pretend version of the procedure) group. Because assignment is random, you have about a 1 in 2 chance (roughly 50%) of being in the sham group, assuming the groups are filled equally. Ask the coordinator to confirm the exact assignment ratio.

**Visits** _(Ask the coordinator)_: Ask the coordinator how many in-person visits the study involves, how long each one takes, and over what total period.

**Procedures** _(From the protocol)_:
- Questionnaires & surveys (Non-invasive)
  > "Sleep quality will be evaluated through self-reported surveys as well as objective data collected using Fitbit devices, which can track sleep patterns and quality metrics."
- Thinking & memory tests (Non-invasive)
  > "Additionally, cognitive function, particularly executive function, will be assessed through the Stroop task, a well-established cognitive test that measures a persons ability to manage conflicting information."

**Washout** _(Ask the coordinator)_: Ask the coordinator whether you would need to stop or pause any of your current medications before or during the study (a washout period), and for how long.

**Travel & reimbursement** _(Ask the coordinator)_: Ask the coordinator whether travel, parking, or your time is reimbursed or compensated, and what is covered.

_Fields marked “From the protocol” come from the trial's registry record or quoted protocol text. Fields marked “Ask the coordinator” are not reliably available and should be confirmed directly._

## Eligibility

- **Sex:** ALL

### Full Criteria

```
Inclusion Criteria:

* Must have a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease as per a neurologist
* Severity of 0-3 on the Hoehn and Yahr (H-Y) Scale
* Able to receive OMM
* Able to be in a supine and prone position.
* Able to wear a Fitbit watch and an oxygen saturation ring for the duration of the study (including when sleeping).
* Have sleep disturbance complaints.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patients on medications that affect sleep
* Have a pre-existing sleep disorder diagnosis
* Those who have a concurrent neurological diagnosis that would confound sleep patterns (ie. narcolepsy)
* Contraindications to the OMM techniques used in this protocol
* Severity of 4 and 5 on the Hoehn and Yahr Scale
```

## Locations (1)

- New York Institute of Technology - College of Ostopathic Medicine - Academic Health Care Center - Osteopathic Medicine Center, Old Westbury, New York, United States _(40.7887, -73.5996)_
  - Sheldon C Yao, DO, (CONTACT), 516-686-3799, sheldon.yao@nyit.edu
  - AHCC front desk, (CONTACT), 516-686-1300

## Central Contacts

- Sheldon Yao, Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine, (CONTACT), 516-686-3799, sheldon.yao@nyit.edu

---

*Canonical: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06671600*  
*HTML version: https://parkinsonspathways.com/trial/NCT06671600*  
*Source data: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT06671600*