Sports chiropractors in Australia: A cross-sectional survey

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.