Manual Therapy for the Pediatric Population: A Systematic Review
By Carol Parnell Prevost, Brian Gleberzon, Beth Carleo, Kristian Anderson, Morgan Cark, and Katherine A. Pohlman
Published in: BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine (2019)
This systematic review evaluates the use of manual therapy for clinical conditions in the pediatric population. Conditions assessed include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, asthma, cerebral palsy, infantile colic, low back pain, and more. The study reviews 50 research articles, finding moderate-positive effects for low back pain and pulled elbow, but inconclusive results for scoliosis and torticollis. Adverse events were rare, mild, and transient. More rigorous trials are recommended to further validate manual therapy efficacy in pediatric care.
Key Findings:
Conditions Studied: ADHD, autism, asthma, infantile colic, low back pain, scoliosis, torticollis, etc.
Positive Results: Moderate-positive outcomes for low back pain, pulled elbow, and premature infants.
Inconclusive Results: Scoliosis (osteopathic manipulative therapy), torticollis (manual therapy).
Safety: Reported adverse events were mild to moderate in severity, with no serious complications.
Detailed Summary:
This systematic review assessed studies on the use of manual therapy in children under 18 years old. Of the 3563 articles identified, 50 were included for evaluation. The review looked at manual therapy techniques used by various healthcare professionals, including doctors of chiropractic and osteopathy.
Conclusion:
The review found that manual therapy shows potential for specific conditions, such as low back pain and pulled elbow, but overall evidence is mixed. The need for high-quality randomized controlled trials (RCTs) remains, as many of the studies had limitations in methodology and reporting.
Download Full Article:
To read the full article, download it here:
Citation:
Prevost, C. P., Gleberzon, B., Carleo, B., Anderson, K., Cark, M., & Pohlman, K. A. (2019). Manual therapy for the pediatric population: A systematic review. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 19(60). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-019-2447-2