10/02/2026
More great evidence on enhancing performance through the nervous system with adjustments
Research corner: The FICS Research Commission shares this recommended read.
đź“– The effects of a single session of spinal manipulation on strength and cortical drive in athletes.
The primary purpose of this study was to investigate whether a single session of spinal manipulation (SM) increases strength and cortical drive in the lower limb (soleus muscle) of elite Taekwondo athletes.
Read full article here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29327170/
For sports chiropractors and multidisciplinary performance teams, this study offers actionable timing guidance: when SM is used, the strength benefit appears to peak within 30 minutes, while heightened corticospinal drive may persist for at least an hour. Practically, that suggests scheduling SM proximal to strength or power tasks—e.g., during warm-up prior to lower-limb loading, jump testing, or speed-strength sessions—to exploit the acute window.
Because the effect seems mediated more by descending cortical drive (V-wave) than by spinal reflex gain (H-reflex), pairing SM with motor practice that is skilful, high-intent, and velocity-specific could translate neural priming into functional performance. Caveats include the small, homogeneous sample (elite Taekwondo with subclinical spinal pain) and the short follow-up; do not generalize to all athletes or assume chronic gains. Use SM as an adjunct to evidence-based preparation (sleep, nutrition, warm-up, potentiation), and monitor individual responses (force outputs, RPE, readiness) to determine who benefits most and when to deploy the intervention within the training micro cycle.
