Really?!? Can chiropractic make you run faster and jump higher? Before we get right to that question, it is interesting to note that the majority of professional athletes utilize chiropractic care. Why? Is there something they know that you don’t? Many athletes have been quoted as attributing at least some of their success to having a good chiropractor. But is it just anecdotal or is there some scientific evidence that chiropractic can help you perform better as an athlete?
To be completely honest, there has not been a lot of scientific studies on the subject. But all the studies that I have been able to find have shown positive results. So what studies have been done? Here are a few that I have found. The most recent I found has to do with vertical jump height in young female athletes. Twenty-two handball players with ankle joint dysfunction were randomly divided into an adjustment group or sham adjustment (control) group. After once-a-week treatments for 3 weeks, the adjustment group increased their mean vertical jump height by 1.07 cm while the control group only had an improvement of 0.59 cm.(1)
Another study looked at hip extension ability and running time in young male runners. Seventeen male runners between the ages of 17 – 20 years were randomly divided into an adjustment group and control group. The adjustment group received chiropractic care focusing on the hips and pelvis once a week for 3 weeks. Hip extension as well as a 30 meter run with a running start was measured before and after the 3 week study period. The adjustment group showed significantly greater hip extension after the study than the control group. The adjustment group also had some time improvement in the 30 meter run but it did not reach statistical significance, but this may be from the small number of participants. (2)
And one more study done back in 1991 recruited 50 athletes from across a variety of sports and randomly assigned them to a chiropractic or control group. All participants were evaluated using a number of tests to show athletic ability that would be minimally affected by cardiovascular and strength training. The chiropractic group was adjusted and seen as frequently as determined by the chiropractor for 6 weeks. At 6 weeks, both groups were reevaluated. While the control group did have improvements on most of the athletic tests, the chiropractic group had improvements on all tests, and for all but one test, improvement to a greater degree than the control group. The chiropractic group went on to receive an additional 6 weeks of care and had further improvements. (3)
While all of these studies were relatively small it is interesting to see the positive effects of chiropractic care. I personally have seen similar improvements in movement and ability to function and those improvements were in regular people, not just in athletes. So yes, there is some evidence that chiropractic care may help you run faster and jump higher, but more research still needs to be done. However the best way to find out the benefits of chiropractic is to come and try it for yourself.
References
(1) Hedlund S, Nilsson H, Lenz M, Sundberg T. Effect of chiropractic manipulation on vertical jump height in young female athletes with talocrural joint dysfunction: a single-blind randomized clinical pilot trial. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2014 Feb;37(2):116-23.
(2) Sandell J, Palmgren PJ, Björndahl L. Effect of chiropractic treatment on hip extension ability and running velocity among young male running athletes. J Chiropr Med. Jun 2008; 7(2): 39–47.
(3) Lauro A, Mouch B. Chiropractic effects on athletic ability. CHIROPRACTIC: The Journal of Chiropractic Research and Clinical Investigation 1991 Jan; 6(4): 84-87.
