Utilization of Chiropractic Care at the World Games 2013

The purpose of this study was to describe chiropractic care use at the World Games 2013.

In this retrospective study, we reviewed treatment charts of athletes and non-athletes who sought chiropractic care at The World Games in Cali, Colombia, from July 25 to August 4, 2013. Doctors of chiropractic of the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic provided care. Chart notes included body region treated, treatment modality, and pretreatment and posttreatment pain ratings.

Of the participants, 537 of 2964 accredited athletes and 403 of 4131 accredited non-athletes sought chiropractic treatment; these represent utilization rates of 18.1% for athletes and 9.8% for non-athletes. A total of 1463 treatments were recorded for athletes (n = 897) and non-athletes (n = 566). The athletes who were treated represented 28 of 33 sports and 68 of 93 countries that were present at the games. Among athletes, the thoracic spine was the most frequent area of treatment (57.2%), followed by the lumbar spine (48.7%) and the cervical spine (38.9%). Myotherapy was the most frequently used treatment method (80.9%), followed by chiropractic manipulation (78.5%), taping (38.0%), and mobilization (24.6%). Reports of acute injury were higher among athletes (45.4%) compared with non-athletes (23.8%). Reported pain was reduced after treatment (P < .001), and 86.9% patients reported immediate improvement after receiving chiropractic treatment.

The majority of people seeking chiropractic care at an international sporting competition were athletes. For those seeking care, the injury rate was higher among athletes than among non-athletes. The majority of patients receiving chiropractic care reported improvement after receiving care.