Acupuncture for Children and Teens: Evidence and Safety

Start with your child's doctor

Children can have serious illnesses that look like minor ones. Acupuncture should not delay a medical check for a child who is unwell, in severe pain, or has a new or worsening symptom. In the United States, call 911 in an emergency. This page gives research only, with no doses, point directions or home techniques.

The short answer

Needle acupuncture in children has been studied far less than in adults, and findings from adults cannot simply be carried over. [1] Reviews report mostly mild side effects, with rare serious ones, many linked to poor practice. [2] Evidence label: insufficient evidence for most childhood uses, promising but limited for nausea after surgery, and insufficient evidence for infant colic.

Safety

A 2011 review found 37 reports covering needle acupuncture in children from birth to 17 years. [2] It identified 279 adverse events, of which 253 were mild (pain, bruising, bleeding, worsening of symptoms), with a mild event rate of 11.8% of patients. [2] Twenty-five were serious: 12 cases of thumb deformity, 5 infections, and single cases of problems such as pneumothorax (collapsed lung), nerve impairment and cardiac rupture. [2] The authors said many serious events might have been caused by substandard practice, and that acupuncture is safe when performed by appropriately trained practitioners. [2] See serious complications for more.

The National Cancer Institute (US) reports that adverse effects in children appear to be rare and similar to those in adults, and that one study found no higher rate of adverse events in children with low platelets or low infection-fighting white cells from cancer treatment. [3]

Evidence by use

1. Nausea and vomiting

   Promising but limited (surgery); insufficient (chemotherapy)

   A 2008 review: most evidence is for nausea after surgery; conclusions for chemotherapy nausea in children cannot be drawn [1]

2. Infant colic

   Insufficient

   4 small trials from northern Europe; no conclusive evidence [4]

3. Chronic pain

   Insufficient

   5 studies, only one randomized; weak evidence [5]

4. Sleep in neurodevelopmental conditions

   Promising but limited

   17 studies, 1,091 children; acupuncture-related treatment added to usual care improved sleep scores [6]

Infant colic

A 2018 review found only four randomized trials, all from northern European countries, using very brief, light needling at one point. [4] It judged the evidence not conclusive for safety or efficacy. [4] In a Swedish three-group trial of 147 infants, diaries showed no differences between groups in stooling, feeding or sleeping. [7] The same paper notes that an earlier report from the trial showed less crying time in the acupuncture groups. [7] A Cochrane review of acupuncture for colic has been planned but only its protocol is published. [8] Crying that is new, different, or comes with illness should be checked by a clinician.

Pain and sleep

The 2024 pain review found positive results (less pain and better school attendance) but small and weakly designed studies, so it called the evidence weak. [5] The sleep review mixed several acupuncture-related methods, rated the evidence for its main score as moderate and reported few adverse events, but it did not isolate needle acupuncture. [6]

Practical guidance

• Ask whether the practitioner has treated children, and what training they have. See questions to ask an acupuncturist and how to choose an acupuncturist.
• Needle-free options exist; see acupressure and acupuncture for people who fear needles.
• Do not use at-home acupuncture kits on a child: see why to be careful.
• For ADHD, autism and other childhood conditions see acupuncture for ADHD, autism and childhood conditions.
• Teens: a practitioner should explain the risks to both teen and parent.
• Herbal products sometimes recommended alongside acupuncture are not recommended for children by the NHS because not enough is known about their safety. [9]