Forces of Commonly Used Chiropractic Techniques for Children: A Review of the Literature

Objective: The purpose of this study is to review the available literature that describes forces of the most commonly used chiropractic techniques for children. Methods: Review of the English-language literature using search terms Chiropract* and technique, protocol, or approach in databases PubMed, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Allied and Complementary Medicine, and Index to Chiropractic Literature and direct contact with authors of articles and book chapters. Results: Eleven articles that discussed the 7 most commonly used pediatric chiropractic techniques and the forces applied were identified. Chiropractic techniques reviewed described forces that were modified based on the age of the patient. Force data for mechanically assisted devices were varied, with the minimum force settings for some devices outside the age-specific safe range recommended in the literature when not modified in some way. Conclusion: This review found that technique selection and application by chiropractors treating infants and young children are typically modified in force and speed to suit the age and development of the child.