The number of complaints against Victorian chiropractors has been revealed, along with punishments

The Australian health industry watchdog has lifted the lid on the number of complaints against Victorian chiropractors over the last two years, and what action was taken.

Doctors have slammed chiropractors posting videos online of newborn babies receiving treatment, alongside claims it can assist with infants’ breastfeeding and settling.

In one video a Sydney chiropractor with a huge social media following claims she assisted a four-week old baby to feed by “gently mobilising the cervical spine to bring back movement to each joint”.

In other social media posts a Geelong region chiropractor spruiks treatments for infants, saying “adjustments are quite often a family affair”.

It comes as it’s revealed a whopping 106 complaints have been made about Victorian chiropractors to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Authority (Ahpra) over the last two years, with three relating to the treatment of young children.

Over that period, Ahpra’s Chiropractic Board suspended one practitioner, issued seven cautions, imposed special conditions on six occasions and accepted an undertaking on another occasion. One practitioner was referred to Victoria’s Department of Health and Human Services.

In one post promoting her baby treatments, the Sydney chiropractor wrote a one-month-old baby “favours one side of the neck! He has also been quite fussy! Mamma mentioned he likes one side of her breast more than the other due to a faster let down, however, it is most likely due to Leon’s neck discomfort that he was favouring the one breast . . . he should be happily feeding from both breasts in no time!”

In promoting its child treatments the Geelong region clinic claims if babies have trouble latching on to their mother’s breast, have a breast side preference, get upset in the baby capsule or car, seem too stiff or too bendy, have trouble passing wind or with bowel movements, they may potentially benefit from chiropractic assessment and treatment.

“We love incorporating cranial work into adjustments for children and people of all ages because of its calming effect on the body,” the practice posted, alongside a photo of a little girl receiving “her cranial work, AKA ‘the head massage’.”

A four-week-old baby receives a chiropractic treatment. Picture: Instagram

Another baby receives treatment from the Sydney chiro. Picture: Instagram

But Australian Medical Association vice president and practising GP, Dr Danielle McMullen warned chiropractic treatment in children under two could be dangerous and there was no evidence it helped with a baby’s breastfeeding.

“It is not wise for babies to undergo chiropractic treatment . . . treatments can be harmful in young infants and there’s no evidence of benefit . . . and there is some risk of harm,” she said.

“There is no evidence that spinal manipulation on a baby will help breastfeeding but there’s lots of supports available from lactation consultants, GPs and early childhood and maternal nurses . . . if you’re having issues with breastfeeding. There’s lots of support available, but chiropractic is not likely to be a good use of money and could be harmful.”

Most chiropractors agreed treatment should not be carried out on infants, she added.

Ahpra’s chiropractic board has an interim policy in place advising against the spinal manipulation of babies under the age of two.

The Sydney chiro performs a treatment on a baby. Source: Instagram

The baby’s chiropractic treatment continues. Picture: Instagram

Professor Alicia Spittle, a senior paediatric physiotherapist at Melbourne’s The Royal Women’s Hospital, said that health service strongly opposed “manipulations or mobilisations on infants”.

“Mainly because they can’t actually tell us what they’re feeling,” she said.

Expert, free help with breastfeeding was available through the Australian Breastfeeding Association’s hotline and resources, Prof Spittle said.

Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) president Dr Jacqueline Small said specialists also did not support the chiropractic manipulation of babies.

“In healthy babies, there is no evidence of misalignment of the spinal cord. There is no evidence that it can help gastrointestinal or a range of other conditions for which it has been at times recommended,” she said. “The unlikely benefits of spinal manipulation in the management of colic should be balanced by the possibility of harm.”

The Sydney chiropractor said the video of the four-week-old baby she posted to her Instagram showed “just a small snippet of the actual treatment” she performed and “full permission was obtained from the persons in this video prior to posting on social media platforms”.

“Adjustments are quite often a family affair” at the Geelong region clinic. Source: Instagram

The Victorian clinic says it can help babies with a range of issues. Source: Instagram

The Sydney chiropractor has had millions of views on some of her more shocking adult neck and jaw cracking posts and thousands on others.

However, in another recent baby chiropractic treatment post she explained the treatment of infants did “not involve any ‘clicks’ of the joints”.

“We are simply doing joint mobilisations! It is safe and effective with clinical outcomes!” she said.

The Herald Sun contacted both the Victorian and Sydney chiropractors for comment, but neither responded.

Victoria has about 1500 registered chiropractors, second only to New South Wales that has about 2000.

In early 2019 Victoria spearheaded a national push for tough laws banning chiropractors from manipulating children’s spines.

Federal and state health ministers agreed to act after the Herald Sun revealed shocking footage of a chiropractor treating a baby just two-weeks-old.

Cranbourne’s Dr Andrew Arnold was filmed holding an infant upside down, tapping it on the head and using a spring-loaded device on its spine.

A statement by Ahpra’s chiropractic board states an interim policy is now in place concerning treatment of babies, while it awaits the outcome of a review by Safer Care Victoria on spinal manipulation for infants and young children.

“The board advises chiropractors to not use spinal manipulation to treat children under two-years-of-age, pending the recommendations arising from the independent expert review,” the interim policy states.

“For the purpose of this interim policy, ‘spinal manipulation’ means moving the joints of the spine beyond the child’s usual physiological range of motion using a high velocity, low amplitude thrust. The board expects chiropractors to comply with the interim policy, in addition to following the guidance provided in the statement on paediatric care (2017) and the Code of Conduct for chiropractors (2022). The board expects chiropractors to discuss their proposed management plan with the patient’s parent and/or guardian; where the patient is under the age of two, advise the parent and/or guardian that spinal manipulation is not an available treatment option.”