14/04/2026
The Safer Care Victoria Review sought to address ‘community concerns’ over chiropractic care for children.
The result was a stunning 21,824 submissions received from members of the public who had accessed chiropractic care for a child under 12; an unprecedented number that has yet to be equalled.
The vast majority of these submissions were positive feedback. While the review sought to review reports of harm, there were “no patient complaints or practitioner notifications that arose from significant harm to a child following spinal manipulation.”
It was a stunning result. Yet despite it, criticism has remained.
One outcome from the review was that more research into paediatric chiropractic care was recommended. To this end, the Australian Spinal Research Foundation set up the Paediatric Research Fund.
But elsewhere in the Australian chiropractic landscape, two paediatric experts also put their hands to the plough to answer a question that has likely crossed many a mind: how much force is used on a newborn?
Dr’s Braden Keil and Christian Fludder investigated the forces involved in chiropractic techniques used on a 3-4 month old infant using a mannequin to simulate both the technique and the force used.
The research aimed to quantify preload force, peak force, time to peak, and force application rate during four common paediatric techniques, contributing to understanding safe and effective force parameters in infant chiropractic care.
The four scenarios in the study simulated typical techniques: cervical (drop piece, finger recoil, seated cervical) and sacral (covered thumb), with ten repetitions per practitioner per scenario.
The study found that preload forces were generally below 10 N, with some variation depending on technique. Average peak forces ranged from approximately 35 N to nearly 80 N in cervical scenarios and around 35 N to 41 N in sacral manipulations.
The study showed that force measures were low, and held only for small periods of time, in line with what accepted research shows us with regard to an infants tensile strength.
Peak forces in this study were generally below proposed safety thresholds based on tensile strength models, though some recorded forces exceeded certain proposed safe limits, highlighting the need for further research.
The rapid force application and timing suggest that practitioners naturally generate forces that activate neural receptors, potentially contributing to therapeutic effects.
There were limitations of course, as there are in every study. However, this was a robust study designed and undertaken by experienced practitioners, who applied forces consistent with previous literature.
The force profiles suggest that these chiropractic techniques operate within neurophysiologically safe ranges, supporting their safety and effectiveness when performed appropriately.
Objective force measurement enhances understanding of paediatric manual therapy and can inform future safety guidelines and clinical practice standards.
ASRF Spinal Research Hero Month is currently happening! The ASRF has created the Paediatric Research Fund to support more research for kids chiropractic care. All funds raised during Hero Month this year will be going into this fund, with the aim to fund at least one paediatric research project in the 2026 ASRF Grants Round.
Paediatric chiropractic is an area that could greatly benefit from more studies, so we are making it happen, with your help.
Find out how to get your practice involved at any time this April, it is never too late to make a contribution to this fund 💫 https://bit.ly/HeroMonth2026
ASRF Hero Month 2026 is proudly sponsored by: The Remarkable Practice, Advanced BioStructural Correction Australasia, The Rehab Mechanics
