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

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.