An Osteopathic View of Colic
Colic is one of the more common health problems among infants.
A standard definition of colic is inconsolable crying over 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week, for at least 3 weeks in an otherwise healthy and well fed individual.
Conventional belief is that the cause of colic is unknown, but possibly related to gastrointestinal problems.
The osteopathic view is that there are structural disorders, usually from trauma associated with the events surrounding birth that are strongly contributing to or causing problems in the child. These problems manifest directly or indirectly by causing a feeling of pain in the child. This pain can be anywhere, but appears usually to be in the GI tract.
The "main" nerve that goes to the digestive apparatus is called the vagus nerve. This nerve travels in a hole between two bones in the back of the head, the temporal bone and occiput, the occiput resting on the top of the neck.
The occiput, which makes up the back of the head, is in four different parts at birth. There are other important nerves that travel around and through these bones.
Slight pressure on the base of skull from structural disorders will affect the nerves and bottom of the brainstem. This can cause pain, irritability, and problems with the gastrointestinal tract, among other problems
Crying is one of the few ways a baby has to communicate. In the case of continual, inconsolable crying, it most probably is due to pain or discomfort.
The idea of structural disorders being responsible for colic appears sound, as it can be explained easily, however, it is not that much better than any other explanation unless it applies in practice.
Clinical experience of hundreds of physicians trained in Osteopathy in the Cranial Field on countless babies confirms this clinical success. The structural problems responsible can be identified and the symptoms usually abate when the affected anatomy is treated.
Even though there may be more than one cause of colic, osteopathic treatment has helped this medical condition a great deal in the past and will continue to do so in the future.
A standard definition of colic is inconsolable crying over 3 hours a day, more than 3 days a week, for at least 3 weeks in an otherwise healthy and well fed individual.
Conventional belief is that the cause of colic is unknown, but possibly related to gastrointestinal problems.
The osteopathic view is that there are structural disorders, usually from trauma associated with the events surrounding birth that are strongly contributing to or causing problems in the child. These problems manifest directly or indirectly by causing a feeling of pain in the child. This pain can be anywhere, but appears usually to be in the GI tract.
The "main" nerve that goes to the digestive apparatus is called the vagus nerve. This nerve travels in a hole between two bones in the back of the head, the temporal bone and occiput, the occiput resting on the top of the neck.
The occiput, which makes up the back of the head, is in four different parts at birth. There are other important nerves that travel around and through these bones.
Slight pressure on the base of skull from structural disorders will affect the nerves and bottom of the brainstem. This can cause pain, irritability, and problems with the gastrointestinal tract, among other problems
Crying is one of the few ways a baby has to communicate. In the case of continual, inconsolable crying, it most probably is due to pain or discomfort.
The idea of structural disorders being responsible for colic appears sound, as it can be explained easily, however, it is not that much better than any other explanation unless it applies in practice.
Clinical experience of hundreds of physicians trained in Osteopathy in the Cranial Field on countless babies confirms this clinical success. The structural problems responsible can be identified and the symptoms usually abate when the affected anatomy is treated.
Even though there may be more than one cause of colic, osteopathic treatment has helped this medical condition a great deal in the past and will continue to do so in the future.