Effect of chiropractic manipulation on vertical jump height in young female athletes with talocrural joint dysfunction: a single-blind randomized clinical pilot trial

22 female elite-level handball athletes with talocrural joint dysfunction were randomized to undergo high-velocity, low-amplitude (HVLA) manipulation to either the talocrural joint (active treatment) or the distal tibia (sham treatment). The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the feasibility of trial comparing these two interventions with respect to improvements in vertical jump height. Results indicated that a full-scale randomized control trial comparing active HVLA manipulation of the talocrural joint and a sham intervention is feasible, and there is some indication the active intervention may have positive effects on vertical jump height in this population. The number of patients required in this type of trial is 199 per study arm.