Certified athletic trainer's treatment of low back pain and utilization of chiropractic services.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Low back pain is a common injury among athletes. The management of this disability is as ambiguous as its diagnosis, with no universally accepted treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate collegiate certified athletic trainer’s (ATC) treatment of low back pain and their utilization of chiropractic services. METHODS: Surveys were emailed to 500 collegiate ATCs, yielding 151 responses. RESULTS: The majority (46.6%) selected core strengthening/stabilization as their number one preferred method of low back pain treatment. About half (49.7%) reported an ATC or staff performed lumbar joint mobilizations, where 52.3% stated their institution had a chiropractor as part of their staff. Seventy-seven percent of the reporting institutions have referred an athlete with low back pain to a chiropractor. CONCLUSION: Core strengthening/stabilization was the number one preferred treatment of low back pain. There is also significant involvement of chiropractors in the treatment of low back pain in collegiate athletics.