Can Children See a Chiropractor as well?

Yes. And we would argue it’s very important to at least get them evaluated! Children’s bodies are constantly growing, moving and adapting. From learning to crawl, walk, stand up, and run, the average child falls 20-30,000 times in their first few years of life. New movement skills, carrying school bags, playing sport, sitting in classrooms and spending time on devices all place new stressors on the growing bodies.

It is understandable that parents may wonder where chiropractic care fits into this picture. For families looking for a chiropractor in Cape Town, questions about chiropractic care for children often centre around safety, when Chiropractic care may be appropriate, and what the research actually tells us about its potential benefits.

When chiropractic care is considered for a child, the approach should be age-appropriate, based on a proper assessment and adapted to the individual child. At Roots Chiropractic, recognising these differences is an important part of approaching the care of growing bodies responsibly.

Is Chiropractic Care Safe for Children?

Yes, when it is done by someone who has a special interest and additional courses/certifications in chiropractic care for children. Children are not simply smaller adults. Their bodies are still developing, which means chiropractic care needs to take their age, development, symptoms and individual circumstances into account.

Best-practice recommendations for chiropractors working with children emphasise taking an appropriate health and birth history, performing suitable examinations, identifying signs that may require further investigation, and adapting manual adjustments to the child. For babies and young children–there isn’t any clicking or popping of their bones. It’s rather just a slight pressure to the specific misalignments or tension points there may be in order to restore better movement and help their development.

It is important that you bring your child to someone who has specific training or a special interest in paediatric care so that you can have the best outcomes and most evidence-based care. Unfortunately, until recently, there were very few options in South Africa for parents to bring their children to see a Chiropractor. All of the trainings and extra courses were done abroad in Europe or North America. However, thanks to the Paediatric Chiropractic Association and Chiropractic Association of South Africa, there are a growing amount of options and number of Chiropractors who are able to confidently care for kids.

What Does Chiropractic Care for Children Involve?

A chiropractic appointment should start with understanding the individual child and why they are being assessed. At Roots, we discuss how they were born, development milestones, range of motion, symptoms, and movement patterns. We also look at skull shape, retained reflexes and tonal indicators which can be subtle indicators of nervous system stress.

From there we do gentle adjustments or sustained pressure over joints and muscles. Babies and toddlers are just light pressure and there isn’t any clicking or popping as most people think Chiropractic adjustments to be. Once children are a bit older we continue with sustained pressure and may introduce some light manual or instrument-assisted adjustments as they get into their later childhood and early teenage years.

Care for babies requires additional age-specific considerations. We discuss this separately in our Chiropractic for Babies article.

When May Chiropractic Care Benefit Children?

Although the research regarding Chiropractic care for children remains limited, some parents do also bring their children to us at Roots in order to try to find relief for things like head aches, back pain, funny ways of walking or running, colic, ear infections, and regulating their nervous system.

Some evidence suggests that manual therapy may have a role as part of the management of certain musculoskeletal problems in older children and adolescents.

For example, a randomised clinical trial involving 185 adolescents aged 12–18 with chronic low back pain compared exercise alone with spinal manipulation combined with exercise. The combination produced greater reductions in low back pain over one year, and no serious treatment-related adverse events were reported.

Supporting Movement in Growing Bodies

Movement is an important part of childhood. School, sport, prolonged sitting, backpacks and increasing use of phones, tablets and computers can all change how children move and the physical demands they experience throughout the day.

Regular physical activity, varied movement, appropriate exercise and sensible everyday habits can all contribute to a healthy, active childhood.

School bags are a good everyday example. The way a backpack fits, how it is packed and how it is carried can influence comfort. Parents can find practical guidance in our Backpack Safety for Children article.

For families living in Cape Town, opportunities to move are everywhere. School sport, cycling, swimming, walking, hiking and simply playing outdoors can all help children build positive movement habits as they grow.

Will a Chiropractor be Able to Know if they Can help my child or refer on for further evaluation?

Yes, a Chiropractor trained in paediatrics knows how to evaluate, take care of, and refer on if your child’s problem is not in their scope or needs further help. Back, neck or joint discomfort in a child should not automatically be assumed to be a straightforward muscular or spinal problem.

Persistent or severe pain, significant trauma, unexplained weakness, neurological symptoms, fever or other concerning changes may require further medical investigation.

An important part of assessing a child is therefore recognising when chiropractic management may be appropriate and when another healthcare professional should become involved.

An Individual Approach to Chiropractic Care for Children

So, can chiropractic care be beneficial for children? In certain circumstances, particularly for some musculoskeletal complaints in older children and adolescents, it may form part of an appropriate management plan. However, the evidence varies according to the child’s age and the condition being treated, and the broader research into paediatric chiropractic care remains limited.

At Roots Chiropractic in Sea Point, Cape Town, the focus is on understanding the individual child, supporting healthy movement and approaching care in an age-appropriate and evidence-informed way. That also means recognising the limits of chiropractic care and when collaboration or referral to another healthcare professional is the appropriate next step.