01/06/2026
Headaches and back pain aren’t just adult problems.
Research shows both are surprisingly common in children and adolescents, and they can affect school, focus, and daily activity.
The habits, injuries, and movement patterns developed early in life can influence spinal health over time.
In a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of nearly 200 children with recurrent headaches, children receiving chiropractic spinal manipulation showed greater improvements in some headache-related outcomes and parent-reported measures compared to a control group.
Several other RCTs in adolescents with low back pain show spinal manipulation combined with exercise results in similar or slightly greater improvements compared to exercise alone over time.
Healthy habits matter at any age.
Sources:
Lynge, S., Dissing, K. B., Vach, W., Christensen, H. W., & Hestbæk, L. (2021). Effectiveness of chiropractic manipulation versus sham manipulation for recurrent headaches in children aged 7–14 years: A randomized clinical trial. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies, 29(1), 1.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7792176/
Evans, R., et al. (2018). Spinal manipulation and exercise for adolescent low back pain: A randomized clinical trial. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy (JOSPT). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29150015/
Selhorst, M., et al. (2015). Spinal manipulation and exercise for low back pain in adolescents: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 38(6), 414–424. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26022434/