Chiropractic Care for Children and Babies

Have you thought about taking your child or baby to see a chiropractor?

You should feel confident that your child will be in safe hands. Research studies have found that chiropractic care for children and infants is very safe and rarely associated with adverse events.^1-3

Chiropractors are often asked whether chiropractic care is safe for children and babies. A recent public inquiry asked this question, and this is what 22,000 parents had to say.

Chiropractic care is safe for children and babies

The research evidence is clear that when a thorough history and exam is taken and appropriate techniques chosen, chiropractic care is very safe for children and babies.^{1 3}

2019 Public Inquiry

The Victorian government in Australia held an inquiry into chiropractic care for babies and children and they asked parents in Australia to let them know about their experiences when they took their children to a chiropractor. This is what the inquiry found.⁵

Almost 22,000 parents responded to the inquiry and told the Australian government that they had taken their child to see a chiropractor and 99.7% of these parents reported a positive experience with the chiropractic care of their children.

These parents had accessed chiropractic care for their child for a wide range of conditions and complaints, including maintaining general health and wellbeing. The most common conditions included posture concerns, colic, neck pain, difficulty with breastfeeding, back pain, and headaches. And the overwhelming majority of parents reported that chiropractic care helped their child, with 98% of these parents indicating that their child improved after seeing the chiropractor.

But what about the safety of chiropractic care for kids and babies?

This inquiry in Victoria had a very big focus on safety and what they found was that through their “extensive search they identified very little evidence of patient harm occurring in Australia. In particular, there were no patient complaints or practitioner notifications that arose from significant harm to a child following spinal manipulation.”

References

1. Todd AJ, Carroll MT, Robinson A, et al. Adverse Events Due to Chiropractic and Other Manual Therapies for Infants and Children: A Review of the Literature. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2014 doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2014.09.008 [published Online First: 2014/12/03]
2. Doyle MF. Is chiropractic paediatric care safe? A best evidence topic. Clinical Chiropractic 2011;14(3):97-105. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.clch.2011.06.004
3. Alcantara J, Ohm J, Kunz D. The safety and effectiveness of pediatric chiropractic: a survey of chiropractors and parents in a practice-based research network. Explore (NY) 2009;5(5):290-5. doi: 10.1016/j.explore.2009.06.002 [published Online First: 2009/09/08]

Acknowledgments

• Dr. Heidi Haavik – BSc(Physiol) BSc(Chiro) PhD
• Dr. Kelly Holt – BSc, BSc(Chiro), PGDipHSc, PhD
• Dr. Jenna Duehr – BChiro, BHSC (Nursing), MHSc