Index to Chiropractic Literature

• Bulbulian R
• Miller JA
• Sherwood WH
• Kovach M

Chiropractic care is becoming increasingly popular in sports. This study examines the aerobic effects of spinal manipulation and soft tissue massage on maximal work capacity (VO2max). Subjects (n = 9) consisted of healthy males and females. After prescreening, subjects were tested in a repeated measures counterbalanced design with equal numbers of subjects (n = 3) receiving each of the three treatment trials first. Therefore, subjects were tested for VO2max on three occasions with an incremental stationary cycle test taken to volitional fatigue. Trial one was preceded by spinal manipulation (CMT) to the cervical and thoracic regions, delivered by a licensed chriopractor. Trial two was preceded by soft tissue massage (STM) to the cervical and thoracic areas and the third control (CON) trial was not preceded by any intervention. A one week wash-out period followed each trial. The results were variable showing a slight 6.1 % increase in CMT compared to control (p = 0.18). The VO2max values were 39.7 + 7.9, 42.0 + 11.2 and 42.4 + 10.0 MLO2(Kg-1)MI-1 for CON, ST and CT respectively. The data suggest that the benefits of chiropractic care prior to aerobic competition do not reside in the aerobic pathway.

• Manipulation, Chiropractic
• Massage
• Physical Endurance
• Sports Medicine