Sports chiropractors in Australia: a cross-sectional survey.
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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.
SUBMITTER: Pucciarelli A
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7815177 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Sports chiropractors in Australia: a cross-sectional survey.
Pucciarelli Alex A Randall Nathan N Hayward Matthew M Triantis John J Owen William W Swain Michael M de Luca Katie K
The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association 20201201 3
<h4>Background</h4>Whilst half of all Australian chiropractors report often treating athletes, there is insufficient evidence to characterise the sports chiropractor in Australia.<h4>Objective</h4>To perform a workforce survey of Sports Chiropractic Australia (SCA) members.<h4>Methods</h4>A 74-item web-based questionnaire collected information about practitioner and practice characteristics. Descriptive statistics summarised practitioner and patient characteristics, caseload and management appro ...[more]
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