The short-term effect of spinal manipulation in the treatment of infantile colic: a randomized controlled clinical trial with a blinded observer.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

To determine whether there is a short-term effect of spinal manipulation in the treatment of infantile colic.

DESIGN:

A randomized controlled trial.

SETTING:

A private chiropractic practice and the National Health Service's health visitor nurses in the suburb Ballerup (Copenhagen, Denmark).

SUBJECTS:

Infants seen by the health visitor nurses, who fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for infantile colic.

INTERVENTION:

One group received spinal manipulation for 2 weeks, the other was treated with the drug dimethicone for 2 weeks.

OUTCOME MEASURE:

Changes in daily hours of crying as registered in a colic diary.

RESULTS:

By trial days 4 to 7, hours of crying were reduced by 1 hour in the dimethicone group compared with 2.4 hours in the manipulation group (P = .04). On days 8 through 11, crying was reduced by 1 hour for the dimethicone group, whereas crying in the manipulation group was reduced by 2.7 hours (P = .004). From trial day 5 onward the manipulation group did significantly better that the dimethicone group.

CONCLUSION:

Spinal manipulation is effective in relieving infantile colic.

• Authors: J M Wiberg, J Nordsteen, N Nilsson
• Journal: Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics (J Manipulative Physiol Ther) Vol. 22 Issue 8 Pg. 517-22 (Oct 1999) ISSN: 0161-4754 [Print] United States
• PMID: 10543581 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Comparative Study, Journal Article, Randomized Controlled Trial, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Emollients
• Simethicone

Topics

• Birth Weight
• Colic (drug therapy, therapy)
• Crying
• Denmark
• Emollients (therapeutic use)
• Female
• Gestational Age
• Humans
• Infant
• Infant, Newborn
• Male
• Manipulation, Spinal
• Maternal Age
• Simethicone (therapeutic use)
• Single-Blind Method
• Treatment Outcome
• Weight Gain