Infantile Colic   by Dr. Tom Potisk

Definition:  Unexplained and uncontrollable crying in babies from 0-3 months old, more than 3 days a week for 3 weeks or more.  They have normal weight gain, thrive, and are otherwise healthy.  Affects 20% of newborns, is destructive to family life and puts the child in a high risk group for possible central nervous system damage and even death from being violently shaken (aka shaken baby syndrome) of which 7-30% die, and 30-50% have severe cognitive or neurological defects. 

What causes Infantile Colic or can be done about it?

No causative factor or successful medical treatment has ever been found.  Many folk remedies have been investigated such as music and different sound or vibrations but none has been shown to consistently be an answer.  The current accepted medical treatment is with a drug called Dimethicone.  Several good controlled studies have shown that Dimethicone is no better than a placebo treatment and can have side effects.

Doctors of Chiropractic have long reported frequent success in their treatment of colic using chiropractic manipulation.  Three studies since 1985, including a randomized controlled trial in 1996, published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (October 1999) have verified that these clinical observations are correct.

The first study in 1985 reported successful results with chiropractic management of infantile colic in 90% of infants.

The second study in 1989 was a multicenter study of 316 cases of infantile colic which revealed that chiropractic treatment produced a 94% success rate within 2 weeks after an average of 3 treatments with no side effects.

The third study in 1996 was a randomized controlled study of 50 infants with colic.  25 were assigned to Dimethicone treatment and 25 were assigned to chiropractic treatment.  This study produced the same outcome as the second study -- far surpassing the results obtained in the Dimethicone treatment group.  9 of the 25 Dimethicone-treated infants dropped out of treatment with the parents indicating their babies had worsened.   None of the babies in the Chiropractic group dropped out and no adverse side effects were reported.

How does Chiropractic treatment help infants with colic?

Critics of the Chiropractic profession, especially medical critics, often hold up infantile colic as a graphic example of a condition treated by chiropractors that is obviously outside their scope of practice.  Some have argued that chiropractic management of infants should be illegal or only on the basis of medical referral.  However, this trial makes infantile colic the best current example of what might be called the fundamental principle of chiropractic care.

 The main focus of chiropractic practice is not the treatment of specific conditions, but rather, the functional integrity of the neuro-musculoskeletal system.  From the lay person's perspective, chiropractors may be said to be treating specific symptoms or disorders.  In this instance, the disorder is infantile colic.  The chiropractor's perspective is that they are primarily treating spinal dysfunctions or lesions - traditionally termed "subluxations."    Subluxations may be a significant factor in many disorders apparently remote from the spine because of changed biomechanics, referred pain and other altered neurophysiology.  For infantile colic, the logic and success of the chiropractic approach has now been demonstrated.

What can a parent with a baby with colic do?

If you have seen a medical physician, request a referral to a doctor of chiropractic.

Babies with colic should be examined by doctors of Chiropractic.  The above mentioned studies have concluded that chiropractic treatment is the safest (no side effects as are always possible with pharmacologic drugs) and most helpful for babies suffering from colic.

Tom Potisk, DC is a Chiropractor with a practice in South Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  He and his wife have three children who were all born at home.