The Best Chiropractic Care for Colicky Babies in Appleton
Genesis Chiropractic is a Gonstead-specific chiropractic clinic in Appleton, Wisconsin, that offers gentle chiropractic evaluation for infants experiencing colic.
Understanding Infantile Colic and the Birth Process
Infantile colic is defined as inexplicable, uncontrollable crying in babies roughly 0 to 3 months old, lasting more than three hours a day, at least three days a week, for three weeks or more, typically worse in the late afternoon or evening. That clinical definition doesn’t offer much comfort to an exhausted parent who’s already tried everything and just wants to know why their baby won’t stop crying. Traditionally, colic was assumed to be primarily digestive in origin, though its actual cause remains genuinely unclear across the medical and research community.
One area of interest involves the birth process itself. Cesarean deliveries and deliveries assisted with tools like forceps or vacuum extraction can expose an infant’s spine and neck to significant force during birth. A 1987 study by German researcher Dr. Gutmann, published in the journal Manuelle Medizin, examined newborns shortly after birth and found spinal strain present in 95% of a subgroup experiencing vomiting, hyperactivity, or sleeplessness — symptoms that overlap meaningfully with colic presentations.
What the Research Says About Chiropractic Care and Colic
The Gutmann finding is real, but it’s also decades old and came from a small, non-blinded case series — not the kind of rigorous trial that settles a question definitively. More recent research tells a more mixed story: a 2021 Danish randomized controlled trial published in Chiropractic & Manual Therapies found no statistically significant difference in crying time once results were adjusted for baseline crying, age, and clinic, and a Cochrane review reached a similarly cautious conclusion when only properly blinded studies were considered.
Given this mixed evidence, we present chiropractic care for colic as one supportive option worth discussing with your pediatrician, not a guaranteed fix. A gentle evaluation can identify whether spinal strain from the birth process may be a contributing factor for your specific baby, and adjustments for infants use an extremely light, precise touch — nothing resembling an adult adjustment. If you’re considering this option, we’d encourage an honest conversation about what the evidence does and doesn’t currently show.
What Patients Say About Genesis Chiropractic
Colicky Baby questions
Is There Real Research Behind Chiropractic Care Helping with Infant Colic?
A 1987 study found spinal strain in 95% of a group of newborns with symptoms overlapping colic, but more recent, higher-quality trials have shown mixed results. We present this honestly as one supportive option to discuss with your pediatrician, not a guaranteed fix.
Is Chiropractic Adjustment Safe for Newborns?
Yes. Infant adjustments use extremely light, precise pressure — nothing like an adult adjustment — and are tailored to the baby’s size and development.
When Should I Bring My Colicky Baby In for an Evaluation?
Many parents come in within the first few weeks of noticing persistent colic symptoms, though babies of any age can be evaluated.
Serving Chiropractic Patients Across the Fox Cities
Genesis Chiropractic proudly serves patients throughout Appleton and the greater Fox Valley. From our office on South Schaefer Street, we’re a short drive for neighbors across the Fox Cities.
Kaukauna, WI
Freedom, WI
Neenah, WI
Menasha, WI
Fox Crossing, WI
Grand Chute, WI
Little Chute, WI
Kimberly, WI
Combined Locks, WI
