Identifying Chiropractic Specialties Coverage Of Sports

Author: Bill Moreau, DC, DACBSP, CSCS Moreau Chiropractic Clinic, Estherville, Iowa

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to identify the most common sports Diplomates of the American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (DACBSP) and Certified Chiropractic Sports Physicians (CCSP) certificants were involved in and to evaluate if there is a difference in the levels of involvement and types of sports covered by the different specialties.

METHODS: 148 DACBSP and 552 CCSP surveys were mailed. The response rates were approximately the same with fifty-seven (57) DACBSP certificants and one hundred seventy-two (172) CCSP responded to the survey in which they were asked to identify which sports they were involved in “the care, prevention or rehabilitation” of sports injuries in. Fifty-four sports were listed. An opportunity was provided to the respondent to list other sports they were involved in that were not on the list.

RESULTS: The DACBSP respondents identified sixty-six different sporting activities. The CCSP respondents identified fifty-four different sporting activities. The results demonstrated the top five sports a DACBSP were involved in included running (N=43), basketball (n=42), football (N=41), golf (N=38) and volleyball (N=36). The results demonstrated the top five sports a CCSP are involved in were running (N=131), football (N=129), golf (N=106), baseball (N=96) and basketball (N=96). Over fifty percent of CCSP respondents covered the type five CCSP sports. Fifty percent of the DACBSP respondents on average were involved in fifteen sports. In addition to the top five DACBSP sports the following ten sports were also covered by over by fifty percent of DACBSP respondents; baseball (N=35), swimming (N=34), martial arts (N=34), bodybuilding (N=31), track and field (N=31), triathlon (N=31), cycling (N=30), aerobics (N=28), skiing (N=28), soccer (N=28).

CONCLUSION: The most common sports a DACBSP and CCSP provided care for were similar. There was one different commonly covered sport identified for each certification category. The DACBSP respondents identified volleyball as a top five sport and the CCSP respondent identified baseball as a top five sport. There is a significant difference in the number of sports a DACBSP provides coverage for in comparison to a CCSP. Over fifty percent of DACBSP respondents identified involvement in fifteen different sports verses five sports identified for over fifty percent the CCSP respondents.