In the USA, since 2015:

• All of the 32 teams in the National Football League (NFL) employ an official team chiropractor for performance and the management and prevention of injuries. (1)

• 27 of the 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams have an official team chiropractor, while the other 3 allow the players to consult Chiropractors privately. 

• Almost every National Basketball Association (NBA) team has an official team chiropractor.

• Chiropractors have officially treated the US Olympics team since Atlanta 1996, and in 2008, 4 chiropractors joined the United States Olympic healthcare team to enhance the United States athlete’s performance.

• Chiropractors are also common in Ice hockey, Golf, Tennis as well as other professional sports.

Research:

In 1991, Lauro and Mouch (2) conducted a study to measure the effect of chiropractic adjustments (spinal manipulative therapy – SMT) on asymptomatic athletes. Fifty athletes were divided into two groups. One group received chiropractic adjustments, the other served as controls.

Eleven tests were used to measure aspects of athletic ability including: agility, balance, kinesthetic perception, power, and reaction time. Results were examined by comparing the change in average score from the baseline for the two groups across each of the 11 tests.

After 6 weeks, the control group exhibited minor improvement in eight of the 11 tests while the chiropractic group improved significantly in all 11 tests. The experimental (‘adjusted’) group showed a 6.12% greater overall improvement than the control group.

After 12 weeks, the experimental group was shown to have increased athletic performance by 16.7%.

In one test, a hand reaction test, measuring the speed of reaction with the hand in response to a visual stimulus, the control group exhibited less than a 1% improved response while the chiropractic group exhibited more than an 18% improved response after 6 weeks.  This rose to 30% after 12 weeks.

It was also noted that in this study, the control group was discontinued after 6 weeks such that all athletes could benefit from the treatment.

In 1996, Pollard and Ward (3) showed SMT to the L3/4 motion segment resulted in a statistically significant short-term increase in quadriceps femoris muscle strength. They further theorized that the 4.6% change (after manipulation) in the experimental group could have a potentially “beneficial impact on rehabilitation protocols and the performance of strength athletes.”

In 2009, Costa et al. (4) investigated the effect of pre-event ‘SMT with stretching’ (n=23) verses ‘stretching alone’ (n=20) on “full-swing” performance in golfers.

All golfers;

   - stretched,

   - performed 3 full-swing maneuvers, distances measured and averages taken.

SMT was performed on the experimental group,

All golfers:

   - performed a further 3 full-swing maneuvers, distances measured and averages taken again

Any changes in distance noted for both experimental and control groups.

The procedure was repeated once a week for 4 weeks.

An improvement in full swing performance, as determined by average 3 shot distance, for the SMT group was observed on each treatment day, with statistical significance achieved on the fourth day. No statistical significance was obtained for the non-SMT group, and on the fourth day the non-SMT group experienced a decrease in performance. The authors concluded that “SMT in association with muscle stretching seems to be associated with an improvement in golf players’ full-swing performance when compared to muscle stretching alone.”

In 2010, Oosthuizen (5) studied the effect of Chiropractic SMT of the lumbar spine and sacroiliac joints on performance, using the indicators vertical jump height (explosive power) and T-test time (agility) on moderate to highly active athletes.

30 athletes were randomly divided into two equal groups. Objective data (of both tests) was obtained on 6 consultations, before and after a 5 minute rest. The adjusted group received chiropractic SAT during this 5 minute rest period, the control group did not.

Results showed that although both groups (adjusted and control) had immediate improvement, – 7% vs 3% for vertical jump, 4% vs 2% for T-test time.

The researchers concluded that “An immediate increase in explosive power and agility without any additional preparation before an event is invaluable for any athlete especially in the professional sport world.”

References:

1. http://profootballchiros.com/chiropractic-roster-by-team/

2. Lauro A, Mouch B. Chiropractic effects on athletic ability. J Chiropractic Research and Clinical Investigation. 1991;6(4):84–87.

3. Pollard H, Ward G. Strength change of quadriceps femoris following a single manipulation of the L3/4 vertebral motion segment: a preliminary investigation. J Neuromusculoskeletal System. 1996;4(4):137–144.

4. Costa SMV, Chibana YET, Giavarotti L, Compagnoni DS, Shiono AH, Satie J, Bracher ESB. Effect of spinal manipulative therapy with stretching compared with stretching alone on full-swing performance of golf players: a randomized pilot trial. J Chiropractic Medicine. 2009;8:165–170.

5. Oosthuizen BGD, The effects of pre-event chiropractic spinal adjustment therapy on the vertical jump and the T-test of asymptomatic active sports people. A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Johannesburg, 2010

6. Miners AL, Chiropractic treatment and the enhancement of sport performance: a narrative literature review. J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2010 Dec; 54(4): 210–221.