The use of chiropractic care in children has been on the rise for decades. In a recent study, Lee et. al predicted that pediatric patients made around 30 million visits to chiropractors in 1997, a 50 percent increase within the previous four years. In a more recent study, Joel Alcantara, Jeanne Ohm and Derek Kunz looked into the prevalence of using chiropractic care in children in a cross-sectional descriptive survey.

The team studied the responses of 548 chiropractors, all of whom were members of the International Chiropractic Association. Eighty-six percent had private practices in the United States; 13 percent practiced in Canada; the rest were from Europe. Sixty-one percent were female with an average of 8 years of experience in their practice. They reported an average of 21 percent of their patients were 18 years or younger. The majority of the diagnosis codes for these visits were related to common childhood conditions. These included asthma, ear infections, etc, plus wellness care. Treatment included a combination of spinal manipulation, prescribed exercises, rehabilitation and herbal remedies.