In March 2019, the Victorian Government lead an independent review into the safety of chiropractic and spinal manipulation in children under 12 years of age called the Safer Care Victoria Review.
There were 21, 824 public submissions and the results are as follows:
99.7% reported a positive experience with chiropractic care of their children
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
99.1% indicated they were either ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with information provided about benefits of treatment
68.9% reported that they had also consulted with a GP about the problem
In Australia, there has never been a serious adverse event reported in the literature or insurance claims involving the care of a child by a chiropractor. The evidence is showing the risk of harm is low because chiropractors modify treatment techniques appropriately to suit the age and individual needs of the patient.
Safer Care Victoria performed a systematised review of the evidence on the effectiveness of chiropractic care in children and have highlighted that further research is required. SCV have recommended funding to be allocated to develop a higher level of evidence in the area.
References:
Australian Chiropractors Association (2019. Chiropractic Care for Children. Available at: https://chiropractors.asn.au/images/ACA_Chiropractic_Care_for_Children_Inforgaphic.pdf Safer Care Victoria (2019). Chiropractic spinal manipulation of children under 12 – independent review. Available at: https://www.bettersafercare.vic.gov.au/reports-and-publications/chiropractic-spinal-manipulation-of-children-under-12
