ASRF Annual Report 2022 - 2023

A Year of Continued Growth and Connection.

President’s Report: Growing Momentum, Through Focus and Passion

Having stepped into the role of ASRF President in the 2021-22 financial year, it has been my absolute pleasure to see the Foundation go from strength-to-strength, with the support of the ASRF Board and team, who have an ongoing passion for funding and sharing chiropractic research with our community. With the steady growth of our team after a re-structure several years ago, we’ve had increased capacity to create income from events and resources, which has allowed us to approve funding for more research projects from the 2022 Grants Round than we’ve been able to in a single year, for several years. This is an achievement that we’re very proud of.

Our Strategic Plan for 2022-23 had a clear focus on increasing our funded research, as well as our reach across the globe and communications to our tribe, so that we continue to be a Foundation that has a significant impact on the chiropractic research that is available worldwide. We can happily say that we have achieved our goals – see our Research Highlights below. Not only that, but we were able to substantially expand our research-related content and resources. With the continuation of the ASRF Case Report Project, I am constantly amazed at the cases brought forward. Chiropractic is such an important art, that brings results in so many areas of life. I am excited to see this year’s case reports being published, and to see what interesting cases you – our tribe – will submit next year. It’s certainly a great time for chiropractic research.

“As our momentum grows, we are increasingly reinvigorated about our Vision and Mission”.

This past year saw the introduction of the ASRF Research for Practice Podcast, which is showcasing some of the amazing researchers and great minds of our profession – it’s one of the ways we have increased our communications, and we look forward to many great episodes to come.

We held several fantastic events, allowing us to re-connect with our community and grow our knowledge, as well as providing important income for the Foundation. One of the highlights of the year was the awarding of the ‘ASRF John Hinwood Research Award’ to our recent past-President Dr Craig Foote, for his outstanding contributions to the ASRF and chiropractic research – we were so happy to be able to recognise Dr Craig in this way.

I’d like to close by thanking our Members, Donors and Commercial Supporters for their continued support – we truly appreciate your commitment.

Dr Ryan Seaman, President

Key Achievements

Awarded the 2nd annual ‘ASRF John Hinwood Research Award’ to our recent past-President Dr Craig Foote, for his outstanding contributions to the ASRF and chiropractic research.
Funded the 2nd annual ASRF Case Report Project, which resulted in another 19 case report submissions on the effects of chiropractic care on things like stress, immunity and adaptability, with a total of 61 reports submitted and/or published since the project’s inception in 2021, alongside 2 literature reviews.
Held several successful Dynamic Growth Experience events, as well as co-hosting The Philosophy Symposium + DGE.
Launched the ASRF Research for Practice Podcast, featuring a range of researchers and thought-leaders from around the globe.
Significantly increase our global reach and our research-based communications and resources, through social media, our podcast, e-Newsletter and member-specific updates.

Research Highlights

In the past year, we have approved some exciting projects through the 2022 ASRF Grants Round:

Dr Adrian Wenban – Barcelona College of Chiropractic. ‘Evaluation of the Impact of Chiropractic Care on Cognitive Function using fMRI’. ($36,487)

The proposed study aims to investigate the effects of chiropractic adjustments on brain function, specifically the prefrontal cortex (PFC), using functional MRI and advanced computational methods e.g. multivariate pattern decoding. The PFC plays a central role in higher-level cognition and modulation of cognitive control. It is implicated in various complex behaviours, including stress response and emotion regulation in resilience. This is a first of its kind fMRI study that would allow identification and localisation of the changes at neural level that may underlie the positive effects of chiropractic care on emotion regulation behaviour.

Dr Imran Khan Niazi – New Zealand College of Chiropractic. ‘The effects of six weeks of chiropractic care on stress and immune function’. ($39,946)

In the literature, chiropractic care has been shown to impact the central nervous system (CNS), autonomic nervous system (ANS), and immune system function. There is a lack of robust research investigating the long-term benefits of chiropractic care on stress and immune function. This research will investigate the effects of 6 weeks of chiropractic care on stress and immune function.

Ms Marie Brunsart – New Zealand College of Chiropractic. ‘Autonomic nervous system responses to six weeks of chiropractic care in people with subclinical spinal pain: A pragmatic pilot randomised controlled trial’. ($9,924)

This pilot randomised control trial involves the allocation of 20 adults with subclinical spinal-related pain to either six weeks of ‘chiropractic care’ or six weeks of ‘sham chiropractic care’. Multiple objective biomarkers of autonomic function will be used as outcome measures, including heart rate variability, galvanic skin response, pupil response to light, pre-frontal cortex function using functional near infrared spectroscopy, and assessing participants quality of life with the PROMIS-29 health questionnaire. This is the first step in a series of larger studies that will investigate the impact of adjusting vertebral subluxations on autonomic functions.

Mr Usman Ghani – New Zealand College of Chiropractic. ‘Feasibility of using the Gait&Balance app in chiropractic clinics for measuring balance in older adults’. ($9,687)

In the literature, chiropractic care has been shown to impact older adults’ sensory and motor systems, which may impact neuromuscular risk factors for falling. Therefore, looking at the change in the balance of older adults (Age>65) before and after chiropractic adjustments can provide valuable insight to chiropractors. Currently, chiropractors do not have a tool to give information about balance measures during the session. Therefore, in this study, we will look at the feasibility of using a novel mobile-based balance assessment tool, gait and balance app (G&B), to monitor the balance in older people (Age > 65) every week during chiropractic care.

Ms Jenna Duehr – New Zealand College of Chiropractic. ‘Convergent validity of stress symptoms measured using Spine Dysfunction, Stress and Sensory-Motor Integration Questionnaire’. ($9,736)

This research will investigate the convergent validity of physiological and psychological stress symptoms measured by the novel Stress and Sensorimotor Integration Questionnaire (SDSSMIQ) against the established Depression, Anxiety and Stress scale. The SDSSMIQ is a new tool that has been developed to measure the degree to which an individual’s vertebral subluxation affects how they process sensory information and function and how vertebral subluxations correlate with symptoms of stress. This study will be the first of a series of research studies to assess the psychometric properties of the SDSSMIQ.

Additionally, the 2022-23 financial year saw the publication of 27 ASRF-funded case reports and 2 Literature Reviews:

– 4 Case Series’, including 19 case reports on paediatrics and adaptability.
– 1 case report focussed on depression and chronic pain.
– 3 case reports on men’s health.
– 1 case report looking at a traumatic injury case.
– 3 case reports on infertility.
– Literature review on chiropractic and immune function.
– Literature review – descriptive review of chiropractic care for subluxation.

We now have the pleasure of exploring and developing the brilliant new case studies that have come in through the 2023 project. Exciting stuff!

Treasurer’s Report: Expanding Our Capacity With Consistent Financial Growth

It was an honour for me to continue to serve as the Treasurer on the ASRF board throughout the 2022-23 Financial Year, and it brought me great pride to observe the continued annual growth in profits. Having come through a few difficult years for both our Foundation and our membership, we had a very positive year financially here at the Foundation.

Our community has begun to invest again in things like events, and have been venturing out into their own communities with various fundraising activities, which is great for both the ASRF and the broader community.

“Perhaps the most exciting aspect of the financial report in my eyes, is witnessing our renewed commitment
to sharing research with chiropractors through the resumption of national seminars”.

Our Strategic Plan for the past year has focused on increasing our membership base, growing our communications and events, and increasing our commercial support via sponsorships, product endorsements and client advertising. We have been delighted to see growth across several of these areas and are feeling a great sense of momentum.

We continue to grow our suite of resources and products through our Resource Store, as a way to increase our income, as well as to help us to reach our goals around the important second element of our mission – to educate chiropractors, communities & peak bodies on the effectiveness of chiropractic care.

The Board were able to approve funding for $110,000 worth of research for the 2022 ASRF Grants Round submissions, which is the most significant annual funding amount we have been able to commit to in some years. And the additional funding we have put towards our communications team and the ASRF Case Report Project is helping us to grow our brand internationally, which in turn will contribute to ongoing financial growth over the coming years.

We continue to be grateful to all of our community members who support our Foundation and contribute to our mission and vision.

Ms Kora Drage – Treasurer

Research Report: Continuing to Grow the Global Chiropractic Research Base

Having joined the ASRF team in October 2022, I’m considerate of the great work done by past members of the board, in particular the late Dr John Hinwood and Dr Dave Russell.

Over the last 46 Years, the ASRF has funded or co-funded approximately 250 research projects, to the value of over $2.9 Million AUD. We are incredibly proud of this achievement, and it continues to inspire us to find ways to increase our contribution to the global research base.

“To be a part of the progressive work being done by the ASRF Board and team is a privilege, and I am honoured
to be the current head of both the ASRF Research Portfolio and the Research and Working Committee”.

This past year we were able to approve funding for more research in our grants round than we have done for some time. Concomitantly the release of 27 case reports and 2 literature reviews this year has had a significant impact on the availability of chiropractic and subluxation-based research globally. The ASRF Case Report project has produced approximately 50 case reports since its inception in 2021, with more to come from the 2023 project. We are grateful to the chiropractors who have contributed their time and clinical presentations to the project, as well as the Asia-Pacific Chiropractic Journal, who we continue to partner with on this project. Case reports are important for many reasons – they create the base work for supporting and informing proposals for future research and give us a useful clinical window into the real-world outcomes of chiropractic care around the world.

The time, consideration, and opinion of the members of Clinical Advisory Panel and Research Committee are much appreciated. This is integral to the ASRF vision, mission, and strategic goals, and we are grateful for their engagement.

Dr Matthew Doyle, Board Director and Research Agenda Working Committee Chair

Thank you to our amazing Members, Donors, Fundraisers and Sponsors!

Commercial Supporters

We acknowledge and sincerely thank our Commercial Supporters for their contribution to chiropractic research. The companies below are our Commercial Supporters from 2022-23 Financial Year. To see current Commercial Supporters and more information about the companies, see here.

Premium Commercial Supporters

Commercial Supporters

Austbrokers Countrywide Insurance Brokers

Foundation Board

The Foundation’s Board ensures that we fulfil the purpose for which we were established. They do this through maintaining strategic direction, culture, ethics and policy. In addition to funding approval for all research studies, the Board are responsible and accountable for the Foundation’s financial management, human resources, operational duties and compliance with all legal, financial and ethical obligations.

All members of the Board are volunteers who freely donate their time, energy and professional expertise.

Board members and roles listed below are current as at October 2023.