Have you ever been to a chiropractor? Would you consider taking your child to one? What’s the youngest age you’d consider appropriate for a visit to a chiropractor, and for what reasons?
Many parents take their children to chiropractors, even in infancy, for conditions ranging from sports injuries (in older kids) to ADHD, and in infants, even for colic, “birth trauma,” and ear infections!
However, there’s no evidence to support taking an infant to a chiropractor, and there is evidence that it can do serious harm.
Let’s Hear From A Chiropractor
You can probably find a chiropractor, or several, who will tell you that your child’s behavioral problems, neurodiverse brain, digestion, ear infections, and more, can all be “fixed” by a spinal adjustment that can be administered in their office, perhaps over the course of several sessions.
Trevor Zierke is a chiropractor, too, but he won’t offer to use his skills to address health conditions unrelated to the musculoskeletal system, and he’s actively calling out chiropractors who do. In one video, he explains why he considers much of what chiropractors claim to be extremely scammy and describes his role as much more similar to that of a physical therapist.
In a recent video, he delved into the problems with taking an infant to a chiropractor.
“First, and probably most importantly, there’s zero evidence that sayschiropractic care does anything for babies…Follow that up with a lot of these outrageious narratives chiropractors are saying for why they’re treating infants or what they can help infantswith, citing care for things like ear infection, GI or digestion issues, constipation, colic, you name it. Again, none of these can be treated by chiropractic care, and its a sign of an even bigger red flag for that chiropractor themselves.”
Other Chiropractors Disagree — Vehemently
You won’t be surprised to hear that other chiropractors, particularly those who treat young children and infants, are unhappy with what Zierke has to say.
His TikTok and Instagram comments are full of these folks (one on the Instagram version of the video above, for instance, demands that he “suspend [his] medical opinion” until he has more experience; several on the TikTok video demand to know why he’s even practicing if he doesn’t believe in using it on infants, and insist he “do more research” to alter his conclusions.)
You can find similar responses from chiropractors in other sources that call out damaging practices, so Zierke is in good company.
In fact, a 2007 publication from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) focuses on some of the harmful outcomes of these practices — and it has two comments, both from chiropractors who disagree with the conclusions, both of whom admit to using their skills on children.
Wait, Harmful Outcomes? What Are They?
Yes. According to the AAP, in their 2007 review, they found at least 14 adverse outcomes, including hemorrhage and paraplegia, as well as 20 adverse events indirectly linked (such as the delay of receiving the actual treatment needed for the condition).
“We identified 14 cases of direct adverse events involving neurologic or musculoskeletal events. Nine cases involved serious adverse events (eg, subarachnoidal hemorrhage, paraplegia), 2 involved moderately adverse events that required medical attention (eg, severe headache), and 3 involved minor adverse events (eg, midback soreness). Another 20 cases of indirect adverse events involved delayed diagnosis (eg, diabetes, neuroblastoma) and/or inappropriate provision of spinal manipulation for serious medical conditions (ie, meningitis, rhabdomyosarcoma).”
A review in Clinical Pediatrics last year noted similar adverse outcomes, including recurring strokes, as well as noting other antiscientific views that chiropractic offices may promote.
“Some chiropractors may oppose mandatory immunizations because their education is based on Palmer’s theory, which rejects the germ theory of disease in favor of a theory of spinal subluxation as the cause of disease. The International Chiropractic Association states that families should have the choice whether or not to immunize their children.”
Should A Child Ever See A Chiropractor?
The Clinical Pediatrics article linked above is primarily intended for pediatricians and family doctors who care for children in their practices, offering guidance to help them advise and inform patients and their parents.
The conclusion it reaches is that there’s insufficient evidence in favor of chiropractic treatment for children. However, since some parents will choose it over medical care for their children anyway, the paper advises pediatricians to inform parents of the risks and any potential benefits.
That said, it is never advisable for a young child, or especially an infant, to see a chiropractor for treatment without the explicit advice of a pediatrician. (Spoiler: your pediatrician will almost certainly never advise you to take your small child or infant to a chiropractor, especially for ear infections, colic, or ADHD.)
For adolescents, the advice remains the same: talk to your child’s medical doctor first.