This paper sets out formal, evidence-based best-practice recommendations for chiropractic care of infants, children and adolescents. It was developed by a 37-member multidisciplinary panel from five countries through a structured, four-round consensus process.
What was studied?
The panel addressed how care for children under 18 should be approached, covering informed consent, case history, physical assessment, screening for red flags of serious disease, appropriate treatment force, and the appropriate use of X-rays.
What did they find?
The panel required parental informed consent before any procedure, plus the child's own assent where developmentally appropriate. Manual force must be adapted to the child's size and developmental stage, and routine X-rays were specifically not recommended without a clear clinical reason.
Why it matters
This gives clear reassurance for anyone wondering whether chiropractic care for a child is approached differently from care for an adult. Techniques, force, consent and screening are all specifically adapted for children.
Why we included it
It sets the professional standard that paediatric care must be purpose-built for children, not simply scaled-down adult treatment, shaping how thoroughness and consent are handled at every stage.
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What was studied?
The panel addressed how care for children under 18 should be approached, covering informed consent, case history, physical assessment, screening for red flags of serious disease, appropriate treatment force, and the appropriate use of X-rays.
What did they find?
The panel required parental informed consent before any procedure, plus the child's own assent where developmentally appropriate. Manual force must be adapted to the child's size and developmental stage, and routine X-rays were specifically not recommended without a clear clinical reason.
Why it matters
This gives clear reassurance for anyone wondering whether chiropractic care for a child is approached differently from care for an adult. Techniques, force, consent and screening are all specifically adapted for children.
Why we included it
It sets the professional standard that paediatric care must be purpose-built for children, not simply scaled-down adult treatment, shaping how thoroughness and consent are handled at every stage.