Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to collect preliminary information for a study to determine the immediate effects of a single unilateral chiropractic manipulation to the lower cervical spine on handgrip strength and free-throw accuracy in asymptomatic male recreational basketball players. Methods: For this study, 24 asymptomatic male recreational right-handed basketball players (age = 26.3 ± 9.2 years, height = 1.81 ± 0.07 m, body mass = 82.6 ± 10.4 kg [mean ± SD]) underwent baseline dominant handgrip isometric strength and free-throw accuracy testing in an indoor basketball court. They were then equally randomized to receive either (1) diversified left lower cervical spine chiropractic manipulative therapy (CMT) at C5/C6 or (2) placebo CMT at C5/C6 using an Activator adjusting instrument on zero force setting. Participants then underwent posttesting of isometric handgrip strength and free-throw accuracy. A paired-samples t test was used to make within-group pre to post comparisons and between-group pre to post comparisons. improved by 0.7 kg (mean) in the CMT group (P = .710). Free-throw accuracy increased by 13.2% in the CMT group (P = .058). The placebo CMT group performed the same or more poorly during their second test session. Conclusions:The results of this preliminary study showed that a single lower cervical spine manipulation did not significantly impact basketball performance for this group of healthy asymptomatic participants. A slight increase in free-throw percentage was seen, which deserves further investigation. This pilot study demonstrates that a larger study to evaluate if CMT affects handgrip strength and free-throw accuracy is feasible.

Objective To test the hypothesis that Joint hypermobility and autonomic dysfunction are over-expressed within neurodevelopmental disorders. Joint hypermobility is a widespread poorly recognized connective tissue condition with affected individuals overrepresented among panic and anxiety disorders, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue. The relevance of hypermobility to neuropsychiatric disorders of developmental origin is currently unknown, despite anecdotal case reports and clinical suspicion of a link. Autonomic nervous system dysregulation, typically postural tachycardia syndrome is often found in hypermobile individuals. Interestingly, differences in amygdala and superior temporal cortex anatomy have been reported in hypermobile populations and functional abnormalities in patients with autism. Method Thirty-seven adults with neurodevelopmental disorder, 205 patients attending general psychiatric clinics without neurodevelopmental diagnosis and 29 healthy controls were recruited. Hypermobility was assessed using the Beighton scale (BS) and autonomic symptoms using the Autonomic Symptoms and Quality of Life Score (ASQoLS: orthostatic, gastrointestinal, bladder, secretomotor, sudomotor and sleep domains. Results The neurodevelopmental cohort had a mean age of 34.6 years (27 male). Nineteen had Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), 4 Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), 1 Tourette Syndrome (TS) and the remainder combinations of ADHD, ASD and TS. Nine had co-morbid affective disorder. Eighteen patients (48.6%) were classified as hypermobile (BS>=4) compared to 67/204(32.7%) in the general psychiatric group (p=0.048) and 3/29(10.3%) in healthy controls (p=0.007) and this prevalence was also significantly higher that reported in a large general population cohort (1156/6022, 19.19%, p=<0.001). Mean autonomic dysfunction score was significantly higher in the neurodevelopmental cohort compared to controls (mean±SEM: neurodevelopmental disorder patients, 45.8±4.86; controls, 8.5±1.62). This effect was seen across all sub-scales of the ASQoLS. Total autonomic dysfunction score did not differ significantly between neurodevelopmental cohort and the general psychiatric group, however neurodevelopmental disorder patients had significantly higher scores on orthostatic and gastrointestinal disturbance subscales. Conclusion We demonstrate for the first time that rates of hypermobility and symptoms of autonomic dysfunction are particularly high in adults with neurodevelopmental diagnoses. It is likely that the importance of hypermobility and autonomic dysfunction to the generation and maintenance of psychopathology in neurodevelopmental disorders is poorly appreciated. Work underway(autonomic testing, fMRI) will test the hypothesis that autonomic reactivity and interoceptive sensitivity predispose to the expression of psychiatric symptoms, particularly anxiety. It is further hypothesized that inefficient neural co-ordination of efferent autonomic drive with imprecise interoceptive representat...

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if thoracolumbar chiropractic manipulative therapy (CMT) had an immediate impact on exercise performance by measuring blood lactate concentration, exercise heart rate, and rating of perceived exertion during a treadmill-based graded exercise test (GXT). Methods: Ten healthy, asymptomatic male and 10 female college students (age = 27.5 ± 3.7 years, height = 1.68 ± 0.09 m, body mass = 71.3 ± 11.6 kg: mean ± SD) were equally randomized into an AB:BA crossover study design. Ten participants were in the AB group, and 10 were in the BA group. The study involved 1 week of rest in between each of the 2 conditions: A (prone Diversified T12-L1 CMT) vs B (no CMT). Participants engaged in a treadmill GXT 5 minutes after each week's condition (A or B). Outcome measures were blood lactate concentration, exercise heart rate, and rating of perceived exertion monitored at the conclusion of each 3-minute stage of the GXT. The exercise test continued until the participant achieved greater than 8 mmol/L blood lactate, which correlates with maximal to near-maximal exercise effort. A dependent-samples t test was used to make comparisons between A and B conditions related to exercise performance. Results: No statistically significant difference was shown among any exercise response dependent variables in this study. Conclusions:The results of this research preliminarily suggest that CMT to T12-L1 does not immediately impact exercise performance during a treadmill-based GXT using healthy college students.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to describe non-Hispanic blacks that use chiropractic health care to better understand this underserved demographic. Methods: E-mail and telephone calls were used to recruit doctors of chiropractic (DCs) in Texas and Louisiana to distribute anonymous surveys to their non-Hispanic black patients. Twenty doctors volunteered to participate. Each was sent 10 surveys and self-addressed envelopes to distribute. All doctors were given at least 3 months to distribute surveys to as many non-Hispanic black patients that they had. The survey contained 20 questions designed to develop a profile of non-Hispanic black patients that used chiropractic care. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic and other patient attributes. Results: Two-hundred surveys were distributed and 44 were completed, yielding a response rate of 22%. Non-Hispanic black patients were more likely to be female (54.5%), be older than 50 years (56.8%), be a college graduate (59.1%), be employed (61.9%), report not receiving public assistance in the past 5 years (81.4%), report a household income of $20 000 to $60 000 a year (48.8%), and born in the United States (83.7%). Participants reported that there was a DC within 30 minutes of their address (81.4%), their DC always explained things to them in an easy-to-understand manner (81.8%), their DC always showed respect for what they had to say (88.6%), and their DC always cared about them as a person (86.4%). Conclusions: In the sample surveyed, non-Hispanic black patients tended to be female, be older, be college educated, be employed, and have a positive viewpoint on their interactions with their DC.

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