Cardiovascular Fitness and Potential Risk of Work-Related Injuries in Manual Therapy Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background Chiropractic and manual therapy professions are considered physically demanding and tend to be associated with high rates of work-related injuries. The reported injuries particularly affect the upper extremities and lower back. Despite extensive research on physical therapists, there are limited studies on chiropractors. This study aims to evaluate the cardiovascular fitness of manual therapy students to evaluate their risk of potential work-related injuries. Methods This cross-sectional study recruited 40 (17 to 26-year-olds) healthy male and female manual therapy students from Beijing Sports University. Participants performed the single-stage treadmill walking test to estimate their maximal oxygen uptake (VO₂ max). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated, and data were analyzed to compare physical and physiological variables between the gender and weight categories. Results Male students had a higher mean VO₂ max (51.23 ± 6.13 mL/min/kg) compared to female students (39.62 ± 3.81 mL/min/kg). Normal weight individuals had a slightly lower mean VO₂ max (47.40 ± 8.30 mL/min/kg) than overweight individuals (47.64 ± 6.14 mL/min/kg). The study also highlighted significant differences in height, weight, and BMI between genders. Conclusions The study indicates that manual therapy students have high VO₂ max values, suggesting good cardiovascular fitness, which is essential for their physically demanding careers. However, the higher VO₂ max in males and the minor difference between normal and overweight individuals suggest the need for tailored fitness programs. Preventive strategies to enhance physical resilience and reduce the risk of work-related injuries are imperative for students pursuing careers in chiropractic and manual therapy. Future research should focus on larger, more diverse samples and direct VO₂ max measurements for a more accurate evaluation of cardiovascular fitness and its influence on occupational performance.