The influence of a chiropractic manipulation on lumbar kinematics and electromyography during simple and complex tasks: a case study.

Objective: To investigate whether a more sophisticated and detailed analysis of both simple and complex tasks may yield more information regarding the short-term influence of an adjustment on spine biomechanics.
Methods: The study used a single-subject, before-after design. Three-dimensional spine kinematics and trunk muscle electromyography were assessed during a variety of tasks performed by a professional golfer exhibiting non-specific, chronic, low back pain. The patient received a right-to-left and left-to-right spinous pull adjustment.
Results: After the adjustment, changes were seen in all 3 axes of motion during a golf swing, with concomitant muscle responses. In addition, changes in the off axes of motion were seen during simple movement tasks.
Conclusions: A more detailed spine kinematic analysis, specifically analysis of motion in the nonprincipled axes, yielded more information regarding the short-term influence of an adjustment on lumbar spine motion and muscle function.