An Investigation into the Impact Spinal Manipulation May Have on the Performance of Strength Athletes: A Research Survey

Abstract

Abstract: The amount of research behind spinal manipulation is growing, however, very little attention has been paid to the possible impacts SM has on athletes – or furthermore strength athletes. The central research question is “What impact does spinal manipulation have on strength athletes?”. The objective of this research question is to guide the exploration and observation of how spinal manipulation impacts the performance of strength athletes. This was achieved via an international research survey. A null and alternative hypothesis was established. Each question was designed to measure how effective SM was on strength performance. There were 5 questions in total that covered the most prominent results in the literature; recovery, technique, R.O.M, pain, strength. Each question required an answer between 1-10, determining how effective the participant felt SM was regarding that specific topic, and each participant’s survey would be submitted out of 50, covering 5 questions worth 1/10 each. 69 participants (n=69; ±0.10 - 10%) enrolled in the research article, 81.2% male, 18.8% female and between the age of 21-55. The null hypothesis was successfully rejected with 95% of the sample population scoring a sample mean value (33.7, 95% CI 31.2 - 36.3) >25 (over 50%), meeting the critical value inclusion criteria of 5% (P = 0.05); concluding it statistically significant with 95% confidence Interval, a 2.6 margin of error and a SD of 10.8. That is a 67% result in favour to SM being effective for strength performance. In conclusion: the data shows that spinal manipulation is an effective treatment to improve overall performance in strength athletes, this includes pain modulation, ROM, technique, strength and recovery improvements.