Calming Colic
How Chiropractic Can Help
Every year, expectant parents excitedly look forward to welcoming their child into the world. All of them anticipate hearing the melody of loving coos, inhaling the intoxicating “new baby” smell, and even dealing with dirty diapers. Unfortunately, for 20% of the U.S. population, the affectionate coos can turn into extended episodes of forceful crying. This crying often does not respond to the reassuring and soothing touch of a parent.
Colic arises within the first few months of life. The irritable infant often cries two to four hours at a time. The crying typically starts in the late afternoon or early evening, but can occur any time of day. In addition to the vigorous crying, the baby’s face will become red, the knees will pull up to the stomach, and the baby may clench his fists. The abdomen can be rigid and distended; signs that are related to digestive distress. Babies who are officially diagnosed with colic typically follow the “Rules of Threes”:
- Crying and irritability occurs three or more hours a day
- For at least three days a week
- For longer than three weeks
As one can imagine, this loud, irritable crying often produces incredible stress for the parents. It causes increased anxiety, decreased sleep and patience, and can add strain to the marital relationship. What can be most frustrating is that medical doctors really do not know what causes all of this crying and irritability. If no treatment is done, most infants eventually see these symptoms relieved by four months. This suggests that the cause of colic may be neurological.
What should parents do when faced with this difficult issue? Research supports a chiropractic approach. In 1989, the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics published a study in which 316 infants suffering from colic, average age 5.7 weeks old, received chiropractic manipulations. Of these infants, 50% previously had unsuccessful drug therapy. While their children received care, each mother kept a diary of her baby’s symptoms, the intensity and length of colicky crying, and the overall comfort of the child. Within 14 days (an average of three visits to a chiropractor), 94% had a satisfactory response. And 25% noticed great improvement after one manipulation. One month after receiving chiropractic care, all of the infants maintained relief. Not only did chiropractic care relieve symptoms, but the symptoms did not return!
A 1999 study by the same journal compared chiropractic manipulations to drug therapy using the anti-gas medication, dimethicone. This randomized, two-week long study recorded the number of hours each infant spent crying daily. The outcome of the study resulted in 64% reduction of crying in the chiropractic group compared to a 36% decreased crying in the dimethicone medication group.
The research sounds great, but how does chiropractic actually work? An infant’s spine is subject to trauma as early as birth. The journey through the birth canal, or the forces applied to the baby’s spine as a doctor pulls him from the uterus during a cesarean section, can cause trauma to the delicate spinal column of the child. This trauma can result in bones of the spine, or vertebrae being torque or moved into an improper position. Doctors of chiropractic call this a subluxation.
Subluxations can cause irritation to the nerves passing between the vertebrae, which then can cause symptoms of crying, extreme irritability, and inability to be soothed.
Chiropractors specialize in diagnosing and treating spinal issues conservatively and without medication. More specifically, pediatric-trained chiropractors have several hours of additional education that makes them experts in caring for infant spines. They use specific pediatric techniques that are very gentle on an infant’s spine.
Chiropractic is a very effective, safe, and tender way to conservatively treat common pediatric complaints.