(NationalUSNews.com) — In 2024, a viral video can often bring attention to niche practices in various fields. A barrage of recent online videos featuring tiny infants being manipulated by chiropractors is inspiring a lot of interest, some outrage and many dire warnings by medical professionals. Many adults who have injuries, chronic pain or just want to explore alternative treatments often seek chiropractic treatments. However, some people in the health care industry say there is no scientific evidence to support chiropractic care for babies and worry that it could be actively harmful.
Many of the baby chiropractic videos show the infants having their tiny limbs manipulated or the chiropractors pressing on their spines, necks and shoulders. Dr. James Best, a pediatric family practitioner in Australia, warns parents to not allow treatments of this kind for their babies. Further, Best has called for the practice to be banned for children under the age of two. Chiropractic manipulations are known to sometimes cause damage to blood vessels and the spine in adults. In rare instances, serious complications can lead to paralysis or even death.
President of The Australian Chiropractors Association, David Cahill, points out that most chiropractic treatments for children are not as extreme as the viral videos may indicate. He says that it is usually quite gentle. Massaging the baby’s abdomen, pedaling their legs, using only fingertips to press on the infant’s neck, spine, or hips, and occasionally using vibrating massage guns are common. Jen Rousseau, a chiropractor based in Nashville, indicated that sometimes baby chiropractic sessions involve just showing the parents how to hold their child correctly in order to help them stretch.
The practice is still quite controversial, having been briefly banned in Australia only for the decision to later be reversed. Concerned parents and medical professionals continue to call for bans or regulations, while chiropractors and their patients fight back. Part of the issue is that chiropractors are generally not medical doctors, although they do have specialized schooling, including chiropractic graduate programs. They must be licensed to operate, and each state has explicit requirements for that. While there are many staunch proponents of chiropractic, even the American Academy of Chiropractic Pediatrics admits that evidence is mixed on its use on children.
Copyright 2024, NationalUSNews.com
