Abstract
BackgroundSpinal manipulation is the primary therapy utilised by chiropractors in the management of their patients. The skills required may feel foreign to chiropractic students as they need strength and endurance in movement patterns they may not have otherwise been exposed to. This may lead to injury while learning manipulative techniques. It is plausible to suggest that the implementation of a strength and conditioning program early in a practitioner’s career could reduce the incidence and progression of injuries. The study aims to test the effectiveness of a strength and conditioning program in reducing the risk of chiropractic students’ acquiring injuries while learning the skill of spinal manipulation.MethodsThis study will involve a prospective cohort of chiropractic students who are currently learning manual therapy at an undergraduate level. Participants will be eligible for inclusion if they are enrolled in 3rd or 4th-year chiropractic manual therapy units at Murdoch University chiropractic course. The intervention group will follow a 12-week strength and conditioning program comprised of preventative exercises that address each body region previously identified as being prone to injury. The control group will complete a 12-week walking program. The primary outcome is injury rate, measured via a short questionnaire. The secondary outcome will be strength, measured via submaximal strength tests.DiscussionThe prescribed exercises are aimed at improving the strength and endurance of those muscle groups involved in commonly taught manual therapy tasks. The resistance bands have been chosen as they are inexpensive, simple to implement for the purposes of the study, and acceptably safe. A video format was selected to allow ease of access for participants, provide a detailed description and a visual representation of the exercises to be performed. A questionnaire was designed as a means to assess the influence of the strength and conditioning program on injury rate and the impact this may have on the students’ ability to continue practicing. The International Physical Activity Questionnaire has been chosen to measure the participants level of activity before beginning the exercise program.ConclusionThis research protocol will be the first large-scale study to investigate the effectiveness of a strength and conditioning program to reduce injuries within chiropractic students learning manual therapy.Trial registrationAustralia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12617001638325p).
Highlights
Spinal manipulation is the primary therapy utilised by chiropractors in the management of their patients
This research protocol will be the first large-scale study to investigate the effectiveness of a strength and conditioning program to reduce injuries within chiropractic students learning manual therapy
A retrospective survey of students from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC) revealed that reports of adverse reactions were highest in the second year of the course when many techniques were initially taught [4]
Summary
Study design A randomised controlled trial of chiropractic students at Murdoch University using a preventative strength and conditioning program to prevent injury. With the wrist starting so your palm is facing up, rotate your forearm so that your palm faces down (this will mean turning towards the middle), pause, and return to the starting position This can be performed on the other hand. These participants will be required to walk briskly 3 times a week for 30 min for the duration of the program (12 weeks) This will be in addition to any regular exercise regime. Injury rate Measured via a brief questionnaire designed especially for this study, which asks about shoulder, wrist or low back pain It will ask for information about the pain frequency, duration, intensity, if the pain began while practising their manual therapy skills, and if they were in the role of ‘doctor’ or ‘patient’ at the time. There will be no public access to participant-level datasets
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