The effects of spinal manipulative therapy on reaction and response time of cricket players

• Main Author: Le Roux, Matthys Christiaan
• Published: 2010
• Subjects: Manipulation (Therapeutics); Spinal adjustment
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10210/3159

M. Tech. === Method The purpose of this study was to determine whether spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) of the cervical spinal segments would have any influence on the reaction and response time of a cricket player. It has been suggested that a dysfunctional vertebral subluxation complex can cause a decrease in visual performance. The decreased visual performance may be due to decreased blood flow to the visual centers of the brain. Thirty six participants (3 cricket teams) participated in this study. They were divided into two groups. Group A consisted of eighteen subjects who received spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) of the cervical spine. The eighteen subjects in Group B received detuned ultrasound to the cervical spine The inclusion criteria required the participant to be a male cricket player who was asymptomatic, without any history of cervical spine surgery and without any current injuries (e.g. hand or wrist fractures). The participant had to be between the ages of sixteen and twenty one and have no contra-indications to spinal manipulative therapy. Measure Objective data was obtained by the Wayne’s Saccadic Fixator ® which determined the patients’ visual reaction time. After testing the participants’ visual reaction time, the one group received SMT and the other group received detuned ultrasound. After which all participants’ reaction and response time were retested. vii Results Although there was a decrease in the reaction and response time of the players after spinal manipulative therapy, the objective results showed that due to the small sample size and different baseline values of the participants in this study there was no statistical proof that Chiropractic treatment had a positive influence on the reaction and response time of the participants.