Alex Pucciarelli 1 , Nathan Randall 1 , Matthew Hayward 1 , John Triantis 1 , William Owen 1 , Michael Swain 1 , Katie de Luca 1 Show Affiliations »
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Whilst half of all Australian chiropractors report often treating athletes, there is insufficient evidence to characterise the sports chiropractor in Australia. OBJECTIVE: To perform a workforce survey of Sports Chiropractic Australia (SCA) members. METHODS: A 74-item web-based questionnaire collected information about practitioner and practice characteristics. Descriptive statistics summarised practitioner and patient characteristics, caseload and management approaches. RESULTS: SCA members were predominantly male (74%) with 11.3 (±8.4) years of clinical experience. Amateur or semi-professional sportspeople comprised 67% of SCA members' caseload. Athletes were most likely to present with a lower limb musculoskeletal condition (44%), followed by low back pain (34%). Nearly half (43%) of musculoskeletal conditions were co-managed with another healthcare practitioner. CONCLUSIONS: SCA members provided care for people of all sporting abilities, ranging from recreational to elite athletes, but most typically at the non-elite level. SCA members almost exclusively treat musculoskeletal conditions and apply various modalities in the management of athletes and sportspeople. © JCCA 2020.
BACKGROUND: Whilst half of all Australian chiropractors report often treating athletes, there is insufficient evidence to characterise the sports chiropractor in Australia. OBJECTIVE: To perform a workforce survey of Sports Chiropractic Australia (SCA) members. METHODS: A 74-item web-based questionnaire collected information about practitioner and practice characteristics. Descriptive statistics summarised practitioner and patient characteristics, caseload and management approaches. RESULTS: SCA members were predominantly male (74%) with 11.3 (±8.4) years of clinical experience. Amateur or semi-professional sportspeople comprised 67% of SCA members' caseload. Athletes were most likely to present with a lower limb musculoskeletal condition (44%), followed by low back pain (34%). Nearly half (43%) of musculoskeletal conditions were co-managed with another healthcare practitioner. CONCLUSIONS: SCA members provided care for people of all sporting abilities, ranging from recreational to elite athletes, but most typically at the non-elite level. SCA members almost exclusively treat musculoskeletal conditions and apply various modalities in the management of athletes and sportspeople. © JCCA 2020.
Entities: Chemical
Keywords:
Sports Chiropractic Australia; chiropractic; cross-sectional survey; exercise; sports chiropractic; sports medicine; survey
Year: 2020
PMID： 33487641 PMCID： PMC7815177
Source DB: PubMed Journal: J Can Chiropr Assoc ISSN： 0008-3194