By: Adam Renelt, DC
Updated 04/29/2024
One of the most frustrating things a parent can experience is when their infant cries for an extended period for, what seems to be, no apparent reason. When this occurs, it is generally called colic. Colic occurs in an estimated 25% of newborn babies and is most common in the first 6 weeks of life. Many times, parents are told that their child will grow out of colic by 3-4 months of age, but who wants to wait that out? Fortunately, we have found that chiropractic care helps most colicky babies that come to our office. In fact, colic is one of the most common reasons that parents bring infants to visit our Sioux Falls chiropractors. Often, we will find that the middle back region needs an adjustment, as the birth process itself is stressful to the spine.
Obviously, the most common reasons for an infant to cry include being hungry, tired or have a dirty diaper, which are generally easy to remedy. When nothing seems to work it can be very frustrating and leave a parent or caretaker wondering if the if the baby is injured, sick or if there is another reason for the crying. When no reason can be found, colic generally is the label used. Sometimes soothing techniques may help. Other times parents can’t find anything to help. This can lead to a further lack of sleep and be stressful on both the infant and the parents.
Chiropractic and Colic
Our chiropractors are trained to evaluate people of all ages, including newborns, infants, and children. We have seen patients as young as a few days old. When parents bring their child in for a chiropractic appointment, we will start by taking a history. This may include questions about the delivery, nursing and even mom’s diet. We will then perform a chiropractic evaluation and feel the joints of the spine and check for spinal misalignments, or “subluxations.” If we find that subluxations are present, we will typically perform an adjustment to their spine. Often, we can adjust the baby while they are held in their parent’s lap. It is typical that the baby cry briefly after their adjustment, but they usually calm down quickly after the adjustment is completed. In our experience, most colicky infants improve within a few adjustments. A typical initial care plan may be to check the child once a week for 4 weeks. After the initial care plan, we may then determine if more care is needed.
Contact Us Today!
If it seems your baby is suffering from colic, chiropractic care may be able to help. If you live in the Sioux Falls area, we welcome the opportunity to try to help your family. Please contact our office to schedule an appointment. Also, if you have any questions, please feel free to call us and we will do our best to answer them.