FYI: Infantile Colic and Chiropractic Care

“Infantile colic” is the term used for uncontrolled, persistent, sometimes violent and very loud crying, for no apparent reason in infants that are otherwise healthy. Colic usually begins at around 1-4 weeks of life, and disappears at 3-4 months.

Theories about what causes a baby to cry like this all focus on one thing: pain. Most doctors believe that the cause of this pain is intestinal spasms. A spinal misalignment, or subluxation, has been linked to these spasms. The intestinal system is controlled and regulated by nerves that exit the spine in the middle and lower back. When a spinal segment, or vertebra, is not in alignment, pressure is placed on the nerves, changing the messages they carry. If the nerve that carries messages to the intestine is irritated by this kind of pressure, the signals from the nerve may tell the intestine to tighten up, or spasm, thereby causing the pain.

A high incidence of misalignments in the spine connected with infantile colic has been found. Chiropractic adjustments to the spine move the vertebrae closer to their normal alignment, taking the pressure off of the nerves. A multi-center study performed by Klougart DC, Nilsson DC, MD and Jacobsen DC published in the August 1989 issue of JMPT discovered that in a population of 316 infants with moderate to severe colic, 94% demonstrated successful results following a two-week period of chiropractic care. They concluded that “the results of the study suggest that spinal manipulation of the vertebral column in infants with infantile colic constitutes an effective treatment of the condition.”[1] Similar studies have also been conducted in Denmark, with comparable results.

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[1] The Chiropractic Report. November 1989. Vol.4 No.1

How To Raise a Healthy Child…In Spite Of Your Doctor. Robert S. Mendelsohn, MD. 1984