If you’re a parent, you may have experienced the frustrating and exhausting situation of hearing your newborn baby cry inconsolably for hours on end.
Despite trying everything you can think of, from feeding to rocking to singing, your little one remains upset, and you’re left feeling overwhelmed and at your wits’ end. This is known as colic, a condition that affects approximately 1 in 4 babies and is characterized by prolonged crying in an otherwise healthy infant. If left unaddressed, colic can negatively impact an infant’s development later on and the well-being of their family during those critical early months.
Unfortunately, many parents who seek solutions from their pediatricians are met with dismissive responses. The causes of colic are considered “unknown,” and babies are believed to simply “outgrow” this phase. However, new data indicates that colic is more than just normal crying — it may be a sign of neurological dysfunction.
So, what is colic in babies? In this article, we’ll examine the root neurological causes of colic, its signs and symptoms, and the supportive, drug-free solutions that offer frustrated parents renewed hope for relief.
What is Colic in Babies?
Colic is a condition characterized by intense, prolonged, and inconsolable crying in infants that lasts more than 3 hours a day, more than three days a week. It affects approximately 1 in 4 babies and interferes with normal sleep patterns, feeding, and overall comfort. Essentially, colic is the nervous system’s way of sounding the early alarm of disruption — the need is great for awareness, compassion, and proper neurological support for struggling infants.
Colic cries are distinct from occasional crying due to hunger or needing a diaper change. Babies with colic often experience abdominal discomfort, arch their backs, grimace, and have trouble relaxing.
As parents, we instinctively try to soothe our baby’s cries. With colic, however, these soothing attempts seem futile. No amount of rocking, feeding, or consoling seems to help, leaving parents feeling helpless, while many pediatricians assure them their baby will “grow out” of it.
Yet emerging research reveals colic is not simply normal crying but indicates underlying neurological dysfunction. Leaving colic untreated and incorrectly supported can contribute to chronic issues later on. Therefore, getting to the root cause and restoring optimal function is critical in these early months when foundations form.
What Causes Colic? Understanding “The Perfect Storm of Factors”
Although the causes of colic are not entirely known, recent research and clinical evidence suggest that dysfunctional nerve signaling plays a crucial role. The primary cause of this issue is subluxation, which refers to interference and dysfunction in the nervous system. Subluxation occurs when stress and tension build up in the upper neck and brainstem regions, which houses the vagus nerve. This critical nerve controls essential “rest and digest” parasympathetic functions.
A combination of factors, which we refer to as “The Perfect Storm” can cause neurological stress and tension, including maternal stress, anxiety, and fear during pregnancy. This is because the mother’s nervous system is connected to her developing baby’s, and high levels of distress can be transferred to the baby’s wiring.
Physical trauma during childbirth, such as C-sections, forceps, or challenging deliveries, can also damage delicate nerves, resulting in neck tension and neural misalignment. Recent research also suggests that colic arises when subluxation and neurological disruption linked to maternal or birth stress impact the vagus nerve, specifically. This disruption can alter key digestive and regulatory capacities.
These neural misalignments then cause the nervous system to get stuck in a hyper “fight or flight” state, leading to vagus nerve dysfunction. As a result, the baby may struggle with activities that are meant to be automatic, such as:
- sleeping
- eating
- digesting
- pooping
Symptoms then accumulate, including excessive crying, discomfort, poor sleep, difficulty feeding, and back arching. Colic develops when these parasympathetic functions, which require a relaxed nervous system, fail to work smoothly. Identifying subluxation and restoring normal nerve flow early on is critical for helping colicky babies thrive.
Colic Signs and Symptoms
Colic is a condition that is different from normal occasional fussiness in babies. It is characterized by sudden and intense crying that usually occurs at the same time every day, typically in the late afternoon or evening. Parents report that their baby may seem calm one minute, but then begins wailing intensely the next.
In addition to the intense crying, babies with colic often display signs of visible distress, such as:
- Pulling their knees up to their belly
- Passing gas or having bowel movements
- Face reddening
- Arching their back
- Clenching their fists
Although they may seem to be in pain, babies with colic are technically healthy and still gain weight appropriately. What makes it so difficult is the forcefulness of their cries and the inability to identify the cause of their discomfort or soothe them. These episodes can last hours and occur daily, which can be exhausting for families.
All babies cry more in the first 3-4 months while adjusting to new surroundings. However, colic cries signal an underlying issue requiring more active support rather than waiting for the baby to outgrow this phase.
The Neurologically-Focused Chiropractic Solution to Colic
Despite conventional push-back and dead ends, identifying the subluxation patterns causing nerve system issues in your colicky baby without invasive procedures is possible. At PX Docs, we use advanced neurological scans, called INSiGHT Scans, to pinpoint areas of neural tension and communication issues in the neck and brainstem. These scans then produce visual representations of the nervous system, allowing doctors to know precisely where to focus their care without resorting to guesswork.
PX Docs then use Neuro-Tonal care, a specialized technique to gently guide the neural pathways back into alignment and release any stuck stress patterns. The goal is to restore optimal nervous system flow and vagus nerve function.
By fixing the root causes of the problem rather than just addressing the symptoms, we often see rapid improvements in colic symptoms. With a few adjustments, babies can experience better sleep, feeding, digestion, and comfort. This neurologically focused care realigns the foundations that guide the healthy development of digestive rhythm, sleep cycles, and sensory processing, leading to thriving.
Connect with a Neurologically-Focused PX Doc
If your baby’s inconsolable crying fits the criteria for colic, don’t resign yourself to waiting it out based on claims the causes are unknown or “normal” distress. Emerging insights urge us to recognize and respond to the out-of-balance nervous system signals underlying colic with care and solutions for the best outcomes later on.
Remember, colic is not something to tolerate without intervention for a few months. The intense crying serves as an alarm that subluxation and neurological imbalance are interfering with an infant’s growth and development right from the start.
Do not accept dismissal from pediatric sources that the causes are unknown or that it will pass. Take an active role in caring for the delicate foundations guiding your child’s future. Expert Chiropractic care releases tension and nurtures flourishing once more.
If you’re an exhausted parent struggling with a colicky baby, don’t give up or settle for conventional dismissals. Instead, visit our PX Docs directory to find a qualified and neurologically-focused pediatric chiropractor near you. Our drug-free care plans will get to the root cause of your baby’s neurological dysfunction to restore balance and find much-needed relief.
