Objective: There have been few studies of the movement characteristics of chiropractors and other providers of spinal manipulation. This report of a single practitioner is part of a larger effort to document and analyze kinematic characteristics of chiropractic adjustments.
Methods: A senior-year chiropractic student was outfitted with 16 inertial measurement units (IMUs), overlying the hands, forearms, upper arms, head, spinal regions, thighs, lower legs, and feet. He then performed a supine cervical adjustment thrust to a Palpation and Adjustment Trainer mannequin. Data were exported to Excel for analysis, and a “skeletal avatar” animation video, generated by the system software, was viewed by the authors for qualitative and quantitative assessment of the student’s movements.
Results: Angular positions at the peaks of set-up and thrust were identified for motions of the spinal regions, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hips, knees, and ankles. Most motions occurring during the thrust, as assessed by the IMUs, were small or negligible; only a few were as large as 10-12 degrees. We found subjective assessment of the avatar video to be useful and interesting, but their findings did not always agree with the IMU measurements.
Conclusion: The results from this senior-year chiropractic student likely fall into a range of what might be expected of experienced DCs and may contribute to the body of kinematic studies of practitioners’ body movements during performance of spinal manipulation. The use of IMU-based motion capture and observation of skeletal avatar videos may be valuable tools for qualitative motion assessment of adjustment performance.
Author keywords: Chiropractic Manipulation, Chiropractic; Posture; Kinematics
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