Colic
Your tummy hurts. Your head aches. It is impossible to sleep and you’re irritable. One more thing: you can’t ask for help because you’re only four weeks old! So you cry. And cry. And cry.
And your parents feel exhausted, frustrated, helpless.
The most widely accepted definition of colic today 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 a baby is inconsolable, it’s hard to know what could be the source of their pain or problem. With a chiropractic examination, we often find spinal distortions in the baby’s upper cervical spine. This is especially common if there was a difficult birth. These misalignments, or subluxations, can cause pain, decreased range of motion, difficulty nursing, and indigestion.
A 67% Reduction in Crying
The results of a randomized controlled trial published in the October 1999 issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiologic Therapeutics tracked a small group of 50 infants. Half received the drug dimethicone and the other spinal manipulation. At the conclusion of the two-week study, the babies being adjusted by a chiropractor saw a 67% reduction in crying and the drug therapy group saw a 38% reduction. An additional study reported 93% of infants who received chiropractic care saw a significant change within two weeks
Not a Cure
Chiropractic is not a treatment for colic! If spinal misalignment or subluxation is present, it interferes with the proper function of any part of the body. Restoring proper nervous system control allows the body to heal, which can result in reduction of a large variety of symptoms, regardless of age.