The Advanced BioStructural Correction (ABC) chiropractic technique has been shown in practice and case studies to bring an individual back into their normal posture and open up their respiratory system enabling them to breathe more efficiently. There have been no other studies to date on the ABC technique on any type of athlete, specifically endurance trained cyclists. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine whether a series of releases called the ABC chiropractic technique, would have a physiological effect on an endurance cyclist. Specifically, this study investigated whether the ABC technique led to an increase in VE threshold, decrease in breathing frequency (RR), and decrease in heart rate (HR) at sub-max exercise, decrease in heart rate at rest, and increase in V02, VE, and tidal volume (TV) at max, and improved forward head tilt and hyperkyphosis if present in cyclists. Methods: Eleven male and female collegiate or recreationally training endurance cyclists were randomly assigned to a six week, six days per week, training protocol. The experimental group received ABC releases three times a week for the six week protocol, while the control group received no releases. Pre and post metabolic tests were conducted measuring VE, TV, RR, HR, and V02. PostureViewer and goniometer measurements were also taken. Results: There were no significant differences in the control group for any of the variables over the six week period. The experimental group showed a significant increase in RR sub-max, and a decrease in HR rest, from pre to post trials. There were no significant differences in the amount of change between the experimental and control groups. In a practical sense, some dependent variables did improve. VE threshold (L/min) trended toward a significant increase in the experimental group. The % of VE threshold increased in the experimental group from pre to post trials. TV at max also trended towards a significant decrease in the experimental group. Conclusion: A six week endurance cycling protocol with three sessions a week of ABC technique may not be an effective treatment for showing improvement at the physiological level. There was a non-significant but practical increase in VE threshold, and a significant decrease in HR rest in the experimental group. More studies with a larger sample size are necessary to determine if there are any functional benefits to the ABC technique.
