ReviewChiropractic & manual therapies2020
The safety of spinal manipulative therapy in children under 10 years: a rapid review.
Review in Chiropractic & manual therapies, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 23 citations in OpenAlex.
- Psychometric properties of clinician-reported and performance-based outcomes cited in a scoping review on spinal manipulation and mobilization for pediatric populations with diverse medical conditions: a systematic review.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2024Pooled it
- Spinal manipulation and mobilisation in paediatrics - an international evidence-based position statement for physiotherapists.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2024Guideline
- Clinical Practice Guideline for Best Practice Management of Pediatric Patients by Chiropractors: Results of a Delphi Consensus Process.Journal of integrative and complementary medicine · 2024Guideline
- Comparison of active versus passive surveillance adverse event reporting in a paediatric ambulatory chiropractic care setting: a cluster randomised controlled trial.BMJ open quality · 2020Trial
- The use of high-velocity, low-amplitude techniques in paediatric osteopathic care: two multinational cross-sectional surveys on clinical practice and educational curricula.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2026Article
- Screening for red flags and modifying manual therapy techniques for pediatric patients.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Review
- Patient safety culture of chiropractors and variables predictive of overall patient safety rating: Response to an adapted version of the Survey on Patient Safety Culture Medical Office Survey.Journal of chiropractic medicine · 2026Article
- Chiropractic Care in Children: A Review of Evidence and Safety.Clinical pediatrics · 2025Review
- Spinal manipulation and mobilisation among infants, children, and adolescents: an international Delphi survey of expert physiotherapists.The Journal of manual & manipulative therapy · 2024Article
- Assessing adverse events associated with chiropractic care in preschool pediatric population: a feasibility study.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2024Observational
- Chiropractic care and research priorities for the pediatric population: a cross-sectional survey of Quebec chiropractors.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2023Article
- Spinal manipulation and mobilisation in the treatment of infants, children, and adolescents: a systematic scoping review.BMC pediatrics · 2022Article
- Non-pharmacological management of pediatric functional abdominal pain disorders: Current evidence and future perspectives.World journal of clinical pediatrics · 2022Review
- The clinical utility of routine spinal radiographs by chiropractors: a rapid review of the literature.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe safety of spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) in children is controversial. We were mandated by the College of Chiropractors of British Columbia to review the evidence on this issue.
objectivesWe conducted a rapid review of the safety of SMT in children (< 10 years). We aimed to: 1) describe adverse events; 2) report the incidence of adverse events; and 3) determine whether SMT increases the risk of adverse events compared to other interventions. EVIDENCE REVIEW: We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Index to Chiropractic Literature from January 1, 1990 to August 1, 2019. We used rapid review methodology recommended by the World Health Organization. Eligible studies (case reports/series, cohort studies and randomized controlled trials) were critically appraised. Studies of high and acceptable methodological quality were included. The lead author extracted data. Data extraction was independently validated by a second reviewer. We conducted a qualitative synthesis of the evidence.
findingsMost adverse events are mild (e.g., increased crying, soreness). One case report describes a severe adverse event (rib fracture in a 21-day-old) and another an indirect harm in a 4-month-old. The incidence of mild adverse events ranges from 0.3% (95% CI: 0.06, 1.82) to 22.22% (95% CI: 6.32, 54.74). Whether SMT increases the risk of adverse events in children is unknown.
conclusionThe risk of moderate and severe adverse events is unknown in children treated with SMT. It is unclear whether SMT increases the risk of adverse events in children < 10 years.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.