Chiropractic and Sports performance

Exciting new research!

Why do many elite level athletes from Usain Bolt to Andy Murray choose to have chiropractic care as part of their overall health care?

The New Zealand College of Chiropractic’s Centre for Chiropractic Research, has recently published a study in the journal, “Experiment Brain Research”, which demonstrates that following a full spine chiropractic adjustment session there was an increase in the subjects’ ability to contract one of their leg muscles.

The study shows an increase in muscle electrical activity readings of almost 60% and a 16% increase in absolute force measures.

There was also a 45% increase in the ‘drive’ from the brain to the muscle (the degree to which the brain can activate that particular muscle) and a small, but significant shift in the H reflex curve (a neurophysiological measure of spinal cord excitability).

Dr Heidi Haavik, Chiropractor and Director of Research at the NZCC says: “This study is the first to indicate that chiropractic adjustments of the spine can actually induce significant changes in the net excitability for the low-threshold motor units. The results of the study also indicate that spinal adjustments can prevent muscle fatigue, so we recommend chiropractic care to be a part of medical treatment for patients that have lost tonus of their muscles or are recovering from muscle degrading dysfunction such as with stroke or orthopaedic operations.”

“The results suggest that the improvements in maximum voluntary contractions following the chiropractic adjustment session are likely attributed to the increased descending drive (i.e. from the brain) and/or modulation in afferent input. These results may also be of interest to sports performers and we have recommended a similar study be conducted in a sports population.”

New research into the effects of chiropractic care suggests that it may have an important role to play in maximising sporting performance and aid recovery from a range of conditions where muscle function has been compromised.

To maximise your sporting performance please call Optimum Health Essentials today on 02 9999 1680.