Chiropractic Increased Competitive Swimming Performance and Reduced Back and Joint Pain

The Asian Pacific Chiropractic Journal published a case study in their 2025 third quarter issue that documents the reduction in back and joint pain along with an increase in performance for a child competitive swimmer.

The authors of this study begin by noting that chiropractic care goes well beyond just pain care. “Chiropractic care beyond musculoskeletal pain remains arguably the most promising area of emerging research. Adjusting and correcting the vertebral subluxation has led to discoveries regarding the brain and how it drives muscles.” They also describe several additional studies showing that chiropractic care improves brain function and human performance.

In this case study, a 10-year-old boy was brought in for chiropractic care for the first time. His primary complaints were lower back pain, right shoulder pain and some ankle pain. The boy was a competitive swimmer and was hoping to make the State Swim Team if he could improve his swim times. He was currently training five days per week.

A comprehensive chiropractic examination was performed which included a variety of postural analyses showing asymmetries in multiple areas. The result of the examination was the determination that multiple areas of vertebral subluxation were present in the boy’s spine. According to the study, “The agreed aims of care were to improve swimming times by enhancing the function of the nervous system.”

Chiropractic care was started with one regular adjustment visit every other week. Additionally, the boy would also receive extra adjustments after swimming competitions. A reevaluation was performed every 12 visits where the results of the exam findings were compared to the initial visit findings. The boy’s swim times were also tracked to determine if there was an increase in his swimming performance.

The results of the study showed that as the boy’s subluxations improved, there was a significant decrease in his shoulder, ankle and low back pains. Additionally, the study recorded a dramatic improvement in the boy’s swimming times. The study notes that after chiropractic care, the boy was able to achieve a nearly 10% reduction off his original 200m freestyle time, improving it by 29.2 seconds. He was also able to improve his 200m breaststroke time by 12.7 seconds. As a result of his performances, the boy was able to qualify for the State Swim Team.

Since there was no change in the boy’s training schedule, the authors of this study attribute the boy’s increased swimming performance to his chiropractic care. They stated, “We, as Chiropractors, know that the potential of a person can be impacted by the presence of vertebral subluxations. The child’s swimming times are a clear demonstration of the potential that can be achieved by having no interference on the nervous system.”