Volume 22, Issue 2, April 2014, Pages 349–353
Short Communication
What “CAM” we learn about the level of evidence from 60 years of research into manipulative and body-based therapies in sports and exercise medicine?
Summary
Overview
Complementary
and alternative medicine (CAM) is becoming increasingly accepted in
modern western society, including amongst amateur and professional
athletes, however, it has not yet been determined how CAM is reflected
in scientific publications in sports and exercise medicine (SEM).
Aim
The
aim of this study was to identify trends in the levels of evidence for
manipulative and body-based therapies within the SEM literature.
Methods
The
literature was systematically searched with no language restrictions in
seven databases and retrieved articles were screened and classified
according to their study design using the Oxford Centre for
Evidence-Based Medicine system.
Results
From
6088 retrieved articles, 395 were retained for evaluation and these
included 180 on massage, 96 on acupuncture and 95 on manipulation. The
majority of the articles were published in English, with 88 in
non-English languages. Level-1 evidence was available for acupuncture,
manipulation, massage, and Pilates. From the nineteen-seventies onwards,
a decreasing trend was observed for low evidence articles with a
corresponding increasing trend for clinical trials. After the year 2000,
over 50% of the published articles were clinical trials, RCTs or
systematic reviews.
Conclusions
This
review revealed an increase in the quantity and quality of published
manipulative and body-based therapy articles in SEM over the last 60
years with the evidence level varying considerably between therapies.
The timeframe associated with the development of evidence in CAM may
reflect the move to provide scientific support for therapies previously
justified primarily by anecdotal evidence, or traditional and cultural
use.
Keywords
- Sports and exercise medicine;
- Complementary and alternative medicine;
- Evidence-based practice;
- Levels of evidence;
- Evaluation report
- Corresponding author. Tel.:
+61 7 4930 9000; fax: +61 7 4150 7090.
Copyright © 2014 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
