Colic Tantrums Are Calmed By Chiropractic
By Chris Brown
Adjusting to life with an infant is difficult enough, but if that infant also happens to be suffering from colic, then the experience can be nearly unbearable. Luckily for troubled parents, chiropractic may offer a solution to calm those screaming nights.
What is Colic?
Colic is the non-specific term for regular, intense and uncontrollable crying episodes from infants. It typically starts early in infancy and can last through the first year. Colic episodes go beyond normal infant fussiness but, by definition, lasts for three or more hours and includes intense crying or screaming that has no apparent cause. Caring for a baby with colic can be extremely difficult for new, sleep-deprived parents, especially considering that episodes tend to flare up at night. Having the hope of non-invasive, non-medicative treatment could be a godsend.
Chiropractic Successes at Relieving Infantile Colic
Chiropractic has a multitude of studies backing its ability to reduce symptoms of colic. In a 2019 review of 16 systematic studies, the National Institute for Health Research in Bristol (UK) concluded that spinal manipulation showed "promise to alleviate symptoms of colic." More definitively, a blind study of 104 colic infants found that manual therapy significantly reduced the at-home crying behavior following three treatments over a 10-day period. Even more impressive is that episodes of colic statistically decreased dramatically after Day 8 of the study. More research is required to confirm the effects of spinal manipulation on colic, but there seems to be significant support of chiropractic as a helpful, and safe, treatment.
How Chiropractic Helps Colic
Since colic is likely a multi-causal condition, it is not fully understood why chiropractic helps relieve symptoms. One theory is that many colic cases are the result of gastrointestinal distress from an undeveloped or sensitive digestive tract. Chiropractic aids digestive issues in adults by releasing spinal subluxations that hinder communication between the gut and the nervous system. This same logic could be applied to similarly suffering infants. A theory proposed in one study suggested that chiropractic may be helping to relieve musculoskeletal pain that is causing the child to cry. Since an infant is unable to communicate the reason behind their outbursts, it could be that multiple pains are working simultaneously and chiropractic manipulations relieve all at once.
A session at one of The Joint Chiropractic's 500-plus nationwide clinics can help determine if adjustments can help your little one's colic. The Joint's doctors can provide safe, effective, and affordable treatments which may just allow you a night of screaming-free rest.
To learn more about your health, wellness and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Greenwood, S.C.