It’s the middle of the night, and your 3-week-old infant’s high-pitched cries send you out of bed. However, this cry is different, and nothing seems to help calm them. You’ve checked their diaper, offered a feed, tried gas drops, burping, and soothing words to no avail. As you hold them through another round of inconsolable screams, back arching, and tense fists, you feel helpless and frustrated.
Why does this keep happening?
Around 25% of babies show these common symptoms of colic, an often overlooked condition with devastating impacts on development, comfort, and family wellness if left unaddressed.
Colic, which is traditionally thought of as typical fussiness, can indicate neurological distress. In fact, studies show that colicky babies (and their parents) find relief when providers address neurological root causes.
In this article, we’ll explore how to spot colic quickly and how Neurologically Focused Chiropractic Care can help restore healthy nervous system regulation, providing much-needed relief for distressed families.
Signs of a Colic Baby
Infantile colic refers to excessive, inconsolable crying in otherwise healthy babies. Key signs indicating colic rather than typical fussy periods include:
- Crying spells over 3 hours a day, 3 days a week, for 3+ weeks
- Unexplained episodes of intense, high-pitched screams sounding distressed
- Crying that is difficult to soothe and comfort with feeding, diaper changes, etc.
- Onset at predictable times, often late afternoon or evenings
- Facial grimacing, appearing uncomfortable
- Flushed skin or a brighter red face during or after crying bouts
- Stiff or tense arms, legs, clenched fists, and toes while crying
- Frequent arching of the back while crying
Challenging the Conventional Colic Narrative
Despite being so common, misinformation often persists around the causes and solutions of colic. Three myths to reconsider include:
Myth 1: Colic is Normal and Will Resolve On Its Own
Colic typically subsides by 3-4 months of age, but it causes significant disruption in the early months, including constant crying, distress, sleep and feeding problems, and impaired bonding and brain development. For this reason, colic shouldn’t be ignored, as it delays the proper care infants require.
Myth 2: It’s Just Gas or Gut Issues
While gas can contribute to symptoms, it alone cannot explain all hallmark signs of colic, such as back arching, facial grimacing, or predictable evening crying spells. Intestinal discomfort from air swallowing or food reactions may also play a role.
Myth 3. Nothing Can Be Done Except To Wait It Out
Studies support chiropractic care for colic relief. Gentle adjustments and protocols calm neurological and digestive distress, relieving colicky babies and empowering parents.
What Causes Colic?
Colic is a result of impaired communication between the neurological and gut systems. When the flow in the vagus nerve—which connects the brainstem to the abdomen and is responsible for the gut-brain health connection, among other things—is suboptimal, it can lead to a symphony of discomfort until the conductor restores the rhythm.
Fortunately, emerging research is changing the narrative on colic. It shows that a communication pathway disruption between the nervous and digestive systems causes colic. The vagus nerve is critical in controlling digestion and the parasympathetic “rest and soothe” response, making it a vital and often overlooked factor in the colic equation.
When tension accumulates in the vagus nerve, it can affect digestion processes such as gut motility, enzyme release, waste elimination, and hunger cues. At the same time, the signal to “relax” gets blocked, leading to an increase in stress neurotransmitters.
This can cause classic colic symptoms, such as tensed muscles, back arching, rapid heart rate despite no external threat, and an overwhelming urge to scream out in distress.
Colic Triggers
If neurological-digestive dysfunction is the cause of colic, what triggers the tension in the vagus nerve and the communication breakdown? In many cases, the triggers start to accumulate during pregnancy and childbirth. Some of these can include:
- Maternal prenatal distress exposes the developing fetal nervous system to stress signals, leading to heightened sensitivity.
- Birth trauma results from interventions like c-sections or vacuum/forceps delivery, which can create spinal tension that radiates up the nerves.
- Past infections or antibiotics can alter the balance of the gut microbiome.
Combined with a vulnerable immune system, digestive capacity, and delicate neurological wiring, these factors culminate in “The Perfect Storm” of distressed signaling, which results in colic.
Therefore, the key to addressing colic lies in identifying and addressing this “Perfect Storm” of underlying factors.
Caring for Colic Naturally
Conventional methods of relieving colic have limited success. They often rely on gas medications that don’t address the connection between the gut and the nervous system. On the other hand, focusing on your baby’s natural health through a nervous system approach can lead to better results and greater confidence.
As neurologically-focused chiropractors, PX Docs use custom scans to identify areas of nerve dysfunction and then apply noninvasive corrections to release tension patterns. This expert touch stimulates the vagus nerve, improving neurological-digestive flow. This combined with nutritional guidance, probiotics, and gentle tummy rubs supports your baby’s natural nervous system regulation.
Since the nervous system controls all physiological processes, restoring optimal signals and rhythm creates an environment for your baby to thrive. A colicky newborn can transform into a content baby with the help of our care blueprints that work with our natural capacities.
Colic can cause crying, discomfort, lost sleep, and bonding struggles. However, most infants outgrow it around 4 months old, often much sooner with supportive care. Ignoring colic’s cascade of symptoms during the first critical months can lead to long-term issues such as:
- altered neurological wiring and gut inflammation
- impaired digestion and microbiome diversity
- heightened sensitivity
- developmental delays
- weakened immunity
- disruption of parent-child attachment
This is why it’s crucial to identify colic early and support the neurogut nexus. Treating the underlying causes, rather than just the symptoms, creates a path towards better health.
The Next Steps for Parents of Colicky Babies
If your baby is showing symptoms of colic and you feel dismissed or unsure where to turn for help, there is hope. By seeking providers who focus on the neuro-gut roots of this distress, you may uncover solutions where others have failed.
One potential next step is to explore Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Care. This non-invasive, drug-free approach can calm the neurological dysfunction that drives your baby’s suffering on multiple levels.
To get started, visit the PX Docs Directory to find a qualified PX Doc near you and schedule an assessment to uncover the root causes of your baby’s neurological dysfunction.
We know that the present pain can make each late night hour feel endless, but the knowledge that caring for causes transforms colic’s course can be priceless for your baby’s bright future. Remember, this too shall pass.
