HOW TO TREAT YOUR BABY’S COLIC NATURALLY WITH CHIROPRACTIC CARE

Does your baby cry hours at a time, for 3 or more hours a day for 3 or more more days a week or what feels like nonstop at all hours of the day and night? Do you have difficulty consoling them or getting them to calm down? Do they turn red or arch their backs or tummies and kick their little legs as if in pain? Are you at your wit’s end and unsure how to help your baby and your pediatrician doesn’t’ have much to offer? If this describes your situation, then your baby may have colic. Colic is a common condition where babies from about 3 weeks to 12 months have long bouts of inconsolable crying. Often, colic can make the already challenging transition of adjusting to a new baby even more difficult. However, you and your loved ones do not have to face your baby’s diagnosis of colic alone. Allow the specially trained team at ASFCA to help you relieve your baby’s colic with the safe and natural treatment of pediatric chiropractic care and nutritional advice.

What is Colic?

Colic is a common condition that is diagnosed when a healthy baby cries for prolonged periods of time without their caregivers or parents able to calm or console them. Usually, there isn’t any apparent reason why a baby cries for this extended period. If your baby is experiencing inconsolable crying from colic, they and you are not alone. According to a study published by the National Library of Medicine, colic affects 10 to 40 percent of infants worldwide[i]. Colic most commonly occurs in infants between the ages of 3 weeks to 6 months of age. Colic crying sometimes abates by 6 months of age, but if left untreated, colic can last much longer.

Colic is typically diagnosed if a baby meets any of the following criteria:

Your baby cries for over 3 hours a day.
If your baby has three days or more of extended periods crying in a given week.
Your baby has prolonged fits of crying that lasts at least 3 weeks in a row[ii].

What are the Symptoms of Colic in My Baby?

All babies cry. What makes colic different is that their crying sounds like they are in extreme distress or pain and there is no clear reason why. Generally, babies do not have to have any other health-related issues to develop a case of colic. When they are not in a colic-induced crying fit, they appear to be healthy babies. Many parents and caregivers ask how you differentiate typical fussiness from a baby crying with colic. Listed below are some of the more common symptoms for babies with colic:

Intense Crying– A baby suffering from colic has a more high pitch and urgent sounding cry. Infants crying from colic sound like they are in pain.
No Apparent Cause- Generally baby’s cry when they want or need something. They’re usually hungry, dirty, tired, or want attention. A baby with colic has no apparent reason for why they are crying. They sound and look like they are in pain, but there is no evident cause.
Tense- Colicky baby’s muscles are stiff and tense. Their arm and legs stick out stiffly as they hold themselves in a rigid position often arching their back or necks or kicking their legs.
Predictable or Scheduled Crying- Colicky babies have a predictable timeframe when they cry. Usually, their episodes of colicky crying begins and finishes around a similartimeframe each day. For example, many caregivers and parents report that crying from colic starts in the evening and generally abates late at night.
Gassy- Crying this fiercely often causes a baby to suck down air. This makes them very gassy, and they often pass gas and burp out the excess air throughout their crying fit.

What Causes Colic in Babies?

It is unknown what causes babies to develop a case of colic. Despite numerous efforts to study the cause, researchers cannot narrow down the cause of colic to a single source[iii]. However, several contributing factors may be the origin of colic. Listed below are some of the potential origins of colic in a baby:

Small misalignments in the babies spine which cause headache or back pain like symptoms
Undeveloped Digestive System
Food Allergy or Intolerances
Reacting to the Diet of Breastfeeding Mother or a formula that is not right for them
Childhood Migraine
Stress
Anxiety
Overfed/Underfed
Overstimulation

What are the Risk Factors of Colic in Infants?

Dealing with a baby with colic can be very stressful on a family. A baby who cries for prolonged periods of time can test the patience of anyone, including loving parents and caregivers. This can negatively impact the parent-child bond and even contribute to conditions like postpartum depression, early termination of breastfeeding, sleeplessness, and irrational anger. Unfortunately, Colic can increase a baby’s risk of shaken baby syndrome[iv].

Alleviate Your Baby’s Colic with Pediatric Chiropractic Care

At ASFCA, we understand that the time after your child is born can be very special but also stressful.

If you are struggling to take care of your infant who is in distress because of colic, let our doctors of chiropractic help alleviate your baby’s distress and grant you peace of mind. Pediatric Chiropractic Care is a safe and natural way to treat your baby suffering from infantile colic and other conditions. There is hope for parents who are seeking care for children with colic. Studies have shown that chiropractic care is a highly effective treatment for babies afflicted with colic[v].

Upon visiting one of our Nationally Top-Rated Clinics, a chiropractic physician will assess your baby and take a thorough history. During this evaluation, you can discuss your specific concerns about your baby’s health and development. After their assessment, the chiropractor will perform a physical evaluation and examination on the baby. They check your baby’s range of motion, reactivity, and reflexes for their age of development. Then the chiropractors will perform a gentle manual pressure that is referred to as a pediatric adjustment specifically geared for your infant’s tiny body. The pressure used is often compared to the pressure you would put on a ripe tomato. Often the pediatric adjustments are so delicate that many newborns do not even awaken during their treatment.

Invest in You and Your Child’s Health Today!

If you want to treat yourself or your loved ones, visit one of our Nationally Top-Rated Clinics located throughout the Kansas City Metro Area. Schedule an appointment with ASFCA today.

[i] Jeremy D Johnson, K. C. (2015, October 1). Infantile Colic: Recognition and Treatment. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26447441/

[ii] Johns Hopkins Hospital. (n.d.). Colic. Retrieved from https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/colic

[iii] Mayo Clinic Staff. (n.d.). Colic. Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/colic/symptoms-causes/syc-20371074

[iv] Valerie Sung, P. (2018, August). Infantile Colic. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6091773/

[v] Joyce E Miller, D. N. (2012, October). Efficacy of chiropractic manual therapy on infant colic: a pragmatic single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Retrieved from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23158465/