A clinical study conducted at the Wolfe-Harris Center for Clinical Studies at Northwestern Health Sciences University examined whether chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy (SMT), when used alongside optimal medical management, was associated with changes in asthma-related outcomes in children.
The study included 36 children diagnosed with mild to moderate persistent asthma. Participants received standard medical care, with one group also receiving chiropractic SMT. Outcomes were evaluated over a three-month period and reassessed at one year.
After three months, children receiving SMT in addition to medical care reported substantially higher quality-of-life scores and lower asthma severity ratings. Asthma severity scores decreased by approximately 39%, and overall improvement ratings fell in the range of 50% to 75%. These reported improvements were maintained at the one-year follow-up assessment.
The findings, published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (2001;24:369–377), suggest that adjunctive chiropractic care may influence symptom perception and quality-of-life measures in pediatric asthma. As with many integrative approaches, further research with larger study populations would be helpful to better clarify mechanisms and clinical relevance.
