Recently there have been many studies looking at the safety of chiropractic care in children and infants. These studies overwhelmingly suggest that chiropractic care can safely be provided, even to newborns. Adverse events in children after chiropractic care are rare.
In a randomised control trial on infants with colic, the babies who received chiropractic care cried significantly less than those who were in the control group and didn’t receive care.
At Country Chiropractic we treat children from birth all the way to adulthood. The age, history and physical findings of each child dictates the most appropriate technique, advice and prognosis. As children grow and learn it is common for them to trip, fall and have accidents as they play, learn and develop which can affect their body and nervous system.
Safer Care Victoria Review
Australian chiropractors are five-year university trained, and are government registered and regulated healthcare professionals. In Australia, the chiropractic profession is well established, with over 300,000 visits to chiropractors each week. Approximately 30,000 of these visits are children under the age of 18 years. In March 2019, the Victorian Health Minister tasked Safer Care Victoria (SCV) to lead an independent review of the practice of spinal manipulation on children under 12 years. SCV wished to hear from parents of children who have accessed chiropractic care, exploring their experiences, both positive and negative.
21,824 submissions in total – the largest of any public stakeholder engagement
99.7% reported a positive experience with chiropractic care of their children
99.1% indicated they were either ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with information provided by the chiropractor about the benefits of treatment
98% said that chiropractic care helped their child, indicating improvement after treatment
95.8% stated they were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the information provided about the risk of treatment
68.9% reported that they had also consulted with a GP about the problem
Safety
In Australia, there has never been a serious adverse event reported in the literature or in insurance claims, involving the care of a child by a chiropractor. This is despite the fact that there have been an estimated 12-15 million visits by children to chiropractors in the last 20 years.
The evidence of harm is low because chiropractors modify their techniques to suit the age and developmental stage of the patient across the lifespan.
If you have any questions regarding chiropractic care for children feel free to contact the clinic(s).
