Chiropractic for Colic

Your tummy is hurting. You have a pounding headache. You can't sleep and it's making your cranky. One more thing, you can't ask anyone for help because you're only 2 weeks old! So all you can do is cry, and cry, and cry.

Lacking the ability to communicate, newborns cry to indicate that something is not right. And as parents, you feel helpless, and find yourself guessing at what could be wrong.

Indigestion?

Colic was originally thought to be indigestion. The most common definition of colic is “unexplainable and uncontrollable crying in babies from 0 to 3 months old, more than 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week for 3 weeks or more, usually in the afternoon and evening hours.”

Birth Trauma?

If your baby seems inconsolable, it is hard to know if it's a digestive disturbance or not. Consider another explanation for the crying. Trauma from birth. Upon examining your child, we often find spinal distortions in the baby's upper cervical spine. This is usually caused during the birthing process. Your baby is likely suffering from head and neck pain. 

A 67% Reduction in Crying

Research published in the October 1999 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiologic Therapeutics studied a small group of 50 infants. Half of whom were given the drug dimethicone and the other half receiving regular chiropractic adjustments. At the end of the two week study, those who were adjusted experienced a 67% reduction in crying while the drug therapy group only experienced a 37% reduction.

Almost No Research

Colic is thought to be a condition that resolves on its own over time. So there is little research about proper treatment of colic, however, there are many case studies showing improvement among colicky babies with subluxations (spinal misalignments).

Chiropractic for Colic

Chiropractic doesn't technically treat colic. If a misalignment is present and interfering with the proper function of any part of the body, restoring proper nervous system control often allows for the body to heal. This may happen regardless of age and regardless of what the particular symptoms are called.