The acute effects of a standardised osteopathic manual therapy protocol on the vertical jump and reach performance in healthy basketball players : a cross-over design

Abstract

The purposes of the study were to determine the acute effects of upper body manual therapy when performing vertical jump and reach in basketball players, and to quantify the contribution of arm swing to ground reaction force during a counter-movement jump. Thirteen semi-professional to professional basketball players received two 15- minute standardized osteopathic manual therapy protocols one week apart, one implemented to the upper extremity and thoracic spine and a control implemented to the lower extremities, in a balanced, randomized cross-over design. Vertical jump and reach height and peak ground reaction forces with and without arm swinging were measured before and immediately following both protocols. Vertical jump and reach height (mean ± SD) was improved in the group receiving upper body manual therapy (59.3 ± 10.3 cm to 62.1 ± 9.8 cm) compared to the control group (59.3 ± 9.7 cm to 58.3 ± 9.7 cm; p < 0.001 for Time x Protocol interaction). The between-protocol differences were retained when adjusting for changes in peak ground reaction forces. Arm swing increased peak ground reaction force from 2187 ± 357 N without arms to 2330 ± 337 N (p = 0.005 for effect of arm swing). It appears that applying brief upper body manual therapy treatment improved overhead jump and reach height in high level basketball players. The application of these osteopathic techniques could be beneficial for immediate in-game enhancements of vertical jump performance.