The immediate effect of lumbar spinal manipulative therapy on performance in female field hockey players

Abstract

Background: Hockey is a popular recreational sport that is played not only by South Africans but people worldwide. Like all athletes, hockey players are continually seeking to improve their performance which can be measured by means of a sport-specific test battery (SSTB). Spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) has been demonstrated to improve performance in some sports and also in field hockey. Moreover, it has been shown to be effective in improving a single movement but it is unknown if it can improve the overall performance of a recreational field hockey player. Aim: The aim was to determine the immediate effect of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) on the performance of female field hockey players. Methods: A quantitative control crossover study involving 20 recreational female field hockey players was chosen for this study. The sample was randomly assigned to either Group 1 or Group 2. The 20 participants completed a field hockey SSTB consisting of the sit-andreach, vertical jump, 40 m sprint, and the 5-0-5 agility test to establish baseline scores. In phase one, after baseline testing, Group 1 received SMT of fixated joints in the lumbar region as determined by lumbar regional assessment. Group 2 received a control treatment involving setting up the participant for an adjustment but not administering the thrust. In phase two, Group 1 received the control treatment and SMT was administered to Group 2. Thereafter all the participants completed the SSTB and the results were compared to their earlier baseline scores. A 0.05 p-value was considered statistically significant. Results and discussion: There was a significant improvement in the results of the sit-and-reach, vertical jump, 40 m sprint and 5-0-5 tests after the administration of SMT. A carryover effect was detected in the 40 m sprint test indicating that the treatment effect could not be interpreted as the effect of treatment depended on the order in which the participants received the treatments. Conclusion: Lumbar spinal manipulation therapy can improve the performance of female recreational field hockey players in terms of a sport specific tests battery (SSTB).