Chiropractic and Sports Performance: Why Athletes Get Adjusted

When I played field hockey at National League level, chiropractic was part of my routine.

My chiropractor was my dad, and I didn't only see him when something hurt. I chose to get adjusted because of the physical demands I was placing on my body and because I felt I moved and performed better when chiropractic was part of my preparation.

Even now, I prefer to get adjusted on a Friday at Goose (cheers Louie!) if I have a hockey or cricket match on Saturday. For me, it's about going into the game feeling prepared and moving as well as I can.

One adjustment isn't going to magically turn somebody into a better athlete. But there are good reasons why athletes at every level choose to include chiropractic alongside their training.

Chiropractic in Sport

Chiropractors work across sports including athletics, football, rugby, golf and combat sports. They can be found at major sporting events. At the 2017 World Games, 590 of the 3,666 accredited athletes, around 16%, used the onsite chiropractic service. Four years earlier, at the 2013 Games, athletes from 68 of the 93 competing nations, across 28 different sports, did the same.

Athletes see chiropractors for different reasons. Some are dealing with a musculoskeletal problem or a minor sports injury. Others choose to make chiropractic part of their regular routine alongside strength training, physiotherapy, rehabilitation, nutrition and recovery.

That was certainly how I looked at it. I didn't want to wait for something to go wrong before paying attention to my body.

Performance Is About More Than Strength

Strength and fitness obviously matter in sport, but so do balance, timing, coordination and control.

Every movement involves communication between your brain, joints and muscles. Your nervous system is constantly processing information about where your body is, how it's moving and how much force is needed, on a timescale most of us never think about.

Here's a good example of how fine those margins are. In sprinting, if you react to the starting gun in under 0.1 seconds, it's ruled a false start. Not because you cheated, but because the human brain physically can't process the sound and fire the muscles that fast. That's the entire window elite sprinters are working within hundredths of a second, governed by how quickly the nervous system talks to the muscles.

This is exactly why researchers are interested in how chiropractic adjustments might affect neuromuscular function.

What Has the Research Found?

A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2024 looked at the effects of chiropractic adjustments on muscle strength. Across the included studies, researchers found short-term improvements in isometric strength, the amount of force a muscle can produce while holding a fixed position.

In a study on 11 elite Taekwondo athletes competing at World Championship level, a single adjustment produced a measurable increase in maximal plantar-flexion force, the push you get from pressing your foot down, within minutes.

These are real, recorded changes, not guesses or theory. What they don't do is prove that getting adjusted will make someone sprint faster or win their next competition outright, sporting performance is too complex for one measurement to explain that. But in a sport where hundredths of a second decide races, it's easy to see why athletes take an interest in anything that moves the needle, even slightly.

Why Athletes Don't Always Wait for Pain

One of the biggest misconceptions about chiropractic is that you must be in pain before seeing a chiropractor.

Athletes rarely take that approach with the rest of their preparation. They don't wait until they are unfit before training or injured before warming up. Looking after the body is part of being able to keep training and competing.

Many athletes take a proactive approach because training and competition repeatedly place physical demands on their bodies. Chiropractic can be one part of that wider routine.

Personally, I wanted to feel prepared before I stepped onto the hockey pitch. Getting adjusted was part of my preparation and something I valued, even when I wasn't in pain.

That remains true for me now. I want to go into a hockey or cricket match feeling that I'm moving well and ready for what I'm asking my body to do.

You Don't Have to Be an Elite Athlete

The things that matter in elite sport, such as movement, coordination and preparation, matter in everyday life too.

Your version of performance might be completing a gym session, playing a round of golf, going for a run or keeping up with your children. You might not be competing for medals, but you are still asking your body to perform.

At Goose Chiropractic in Dinnington, we see competitive, professional athletes, recreational sportspeople and people who simply want to remain active.

Chiropractic isn't a replacement for training, rehabilitation, sleep, nutrition or appropriate medical care. It can be one part of a broader approach to looking after your body.

And remember, if you get adjusted by me on Friday, wish me luck for Saturday!

References

1. Lo, C.N., Tsang, E.W., Ngai, S.P.C. (2024). The effectiveness of neuromuscular spinal manipulation: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Osteopathic Medicine, 54, 100731. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijosm.2024.100731

2. Christiansen, T.L., Niazi, I.K., Holt, K., et al. (2018). The effects of a single session of spinal manipulation on strength and cortical drive in athletes. European Journal of Applied Physiology, 118(4), 737–749.

3. Nook, D.D., Nook, E.C., Nook, B.C. (2024). Utilization of Chiropractic Care at The World Games 2017: A Retrospective Descriptive Study. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 46(5), 271–279. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmpt.2024.03.001

4. Nook, D.D., Nook, E.C., Nook, B.C. (2016). Utilization of Chiropractic Care at the World Games 2013. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 39(9), 693–704.