Scientists at the University of
Rochester have taken a new step toward understanding how Acupuncture works at the
molecular level to ease pain.
A 3-year retrospective study of
pediatric case files of Chiropractic treatments for young children and infants
has revealed improvement with remarkably few adverse reactions, all temporary
and very mild.
To perform the study, researchers
pulled all the case files for pediatric patients younger than 3 years old,
totaling 781 cases, at the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic (AECC) in
Bournemouth, England. Files were viewed manually and in sequential order, with
no prequalification other than the target age group.
It was found that 697 children
received a total of 5,242 Chiropractic treatments. Most of the young patients,
about 73 percent, were 12 weeks of age or younger when they arrived for
treatment.
Obviously, a 12-week-old infant
cannot communicate about possible adverse effects. Parents were therefore
consulted to help determine the effects of treatment. No parents reported a
worsening of their child's presenting symptoms, and only seven reported
reactions, six of which were increased crying.
This translates to a reaction rate
of approximately 1 child in 100. The actual rate of adverse reactions, says the
study, would be about 1 case in approximately 1300 Chiropractic treatments.
There were no serious complications
resulting from Chiropractic treatment, such as a reaction lasting more than 24
hours or severe enough to require hospital care. The reactions were short-lived
— less than 24 hours — and had no effect on the usual activities of daily
living, such as normal movement and mobility, nursing and eating.
Since it is well known that adults
can have mild reactions to Spinal Manipulation Therapy (SMT), such as increased
soreness, the researchers noted that it’s entirely possible that infants might
experience the same type of reaction — even when pediatric SMT forces are
reduced to match the patient's size and weight.
The authors of the study say it is
difficult to compare the reported adverse reactions risk assessment with
already published work in the literature because there have been no similar
studies. One systematic review showed a very low risk of severe reactions to
Pediatric Chiropractic care — nine cases in a 30-year period.
Also, the authors note that it is
difficult to precisely compare pediatric adverse effect rates to those of
adults, as the negative side effects experienced by adults are different. In
adults, the range of temporary and mild side effects is reported to include
local discomfort, headache, tiredness, and radiating discomfort — information
impossible to obtain from the youngest patients, which were in the majority.
Similarities with reported infant
side effects were that the discomfort occurred the same day or one day after
treatment, and lasted a short period — less than 2 days in adults and less than
24 hours in infants. In adults, 11 percent of those with an adverse effect
experienced loss in activity of daily living, whereas none was reported in the
infants.
The report says more research is
required into adverse effects in all age groups of children. But with 85
percent of parents reporting an improvement, and only seven reporting adverse
effects, and those being very mild and short-lived, the safety of Chiropractic
treatment for infants and children appears to be well under control.
SOURCE: http://www.chiro.org/pediatrics/ABSTRACTS/Adverse_Effects_of_SMT_in_Children.html
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