Backflip on baby spinal treatments

The Chiropractic Board of Australia has reinstated an interim policy banning the spinal manipulation of children aged under two, after strong criticism from the country’s health ministers and doctors.


The board had been looking at lifting the four-year ban – a move which quickly attracted the ire of Federal Health Minister Mark Butler. 

In a swift backdown, Chiropractic Board chair Dr Wayne Minter said the organisation expected chiropractors to comply with an interim policy, which advised chiropractors to not use spinal manipulation to treat children under two years of age, until further consultation with health ministers could develop a final position. 

The board first released an interim policy on the spinal manipulation of children under 12 years of age in 2019, after commissioning Cochrane Australia to provide an updated systematic review, followed by updated guidelines in-line with its findings in November 2023. 

The new guidelines recommended allowing chiropractors to treat children according to current evidence and/or best-practice approaches. 

However, Mr Butler said this week that he was surprised to see that the Chiropractic Board had renewed discussion on the issue. 

“I was quite shocked by the reports that were in the papers yesterday. For a bit of context, because of a review about five years ago, the Chiropractor Board suspended or stopped the practice of manipulation, including spinal manipulation of infants under the age of two,” he said. 

“The review found there was no evidence to support that that was a safe or efficacious practice. That review itself was reviewed only in the last couple of years, and the same conclusion was reached. I was quite shocked that the Board would overturn that pause, or that suspension of that type of practice, which has now been in place for five years.  

“I’ve demanded an urgent explanation from the board.”  

Mr Butler met with his state and territory colleagues last week and he said they all shared his ‘sense of deep concern about the decision taken by the board.’  

“Health Ministers are concerned the Chiropractic Board of Australia has lifted its interim ban on the spinal manipulation of children under two years of age,” the ministers said in a combined statement. 

“On behalf of Health Ministers, the Chair of the Health Ministers’ Meeting will write to the Chiropractic Board requesting it to immediately reinstate the interim ban and provide urgent advice on its recent decision to allow a resumption of this practice.” 

Dr Minter said the Chiropractic Board was committed to ensuring the public had access to, and received, safe, ethical and competent care from registered chiropractors.  

“While there has been no evidence of serious harm to infants from chiropractic care in Australia, the board’s role is first and foremost to protect the public,” he said. 

“When chiropractors do not have the clinical skills and knowledge to appropriately assess and/or manage a paediatric patient, the Board expects them to refer the patient to another healthcare practitioner who has the appropriate skills, or to co-manage the patient with them. In all cases, the patients’ best interests must be the priority. 

“We look forward to working with Ministers to develop an evidence-based final policy on paediatric care that balances the paramount need to protect patients, with the right for parents and other patients to have a say in the care they choose.”