Abstract
M.Tech. (Chiropractic)
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to deduce whether full spinal chiropractic manipulation would have
an immediate effect on the accuracy and delivery speed of male fast bowlers.
Method: The study consisted of thirty (30) participants, medium-fast and fast bowlers. Seven sessions, were
conducted, in which participants warmed up and stretched before bowling an over (consisting of six
deliveries). The first three sessions were screening sessions where each participant was observed for
consistent speed and angle of arm during delivery by using a high-speed camera, and then the speed of
each delivery was recorded using a Doppler Speed gun. Any restrictions palpated were treated with
chiropractic manipulation in the last four sessions. Post-manipulation recording of delivery speed and
accuracy was recorded and analysed compared to the pre-manipulation speed via STATKON using the
Pared Sample T-Test (if the data is normally distributed) and the Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test (if the data is
not normally distributed).
Results: The analysis revealed full spinal chiropractic manipulation does immediately increase the bowling
speed and accuracy of male bowlers. The difference between the minimum pre-manipulation speed and
minimum post-manipulation speed was 5.05%. As with the maximum pre-manipulation and postmanipulation
speed the difference was 7.24%. The mean speed difference for the group was 5.1962 km/h
for an over.
For the objective values of accuracy, the first three pre-manipulation overs were compared only to the first
three post-manipulation overs to remove the fourth over as an inconsistent variable. A difference between
the minimum pre-manipulation speed and minimum post-manipulation accuracy was 66.67%. The maximum
pre-manipulation and post-manipulation accuracy difference was 40%.
Conclusion: Intervention could be beneficial by enhancing speed and accuracy needed for fast bowling in
cricket.
This research indicates that pre-event chiropractic manipulation may enhance the performance of
experienced male medium, medium-fast and fast bowlers
The benefit of this study was not only to demonstrate the efficacy of chiropractic manipulation in pre-event
intervention and to enhance cricketers’ bowling performance but also to provide evidence to secure a place
for chiropractic in sports medicine in the high profile sporting arena where there is a focus on team sports.
The study also proved the advantages of pre-event chiropractic manipulation for athletes participating in
sports that require increase explosive power and concentration.