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Volume 22, Issue 8, Pages 517-522 (October 1999)


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

Jesper M.M. Wiberg, DCa, Jan Nordsteen, DCb, Niels Nilsson, DC, MD, Phdc

Received 7 January 1999; received in revised form 2 February 1999

Abstract 

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 uburb 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. (J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1999;22:517–22)

a Private practice of chiropractic

b Private practice of chiropractic

c Center for Biomechanics, Odense University, Odense, Denmark

 Submit reprint requests to: Jesper M. M. Wiberg, DC, Hold an vej 5, 2750 Ballerup, Denmark.

☆☆ Supported by the Danish Health Insurance Fund and the research committee of the Danish Chiropractors Association.

 The preliminary results from this study have been presented in Bürgenstock at the continuing education course of the Association of Swiss Chiropractors, September 11–13, 1997.

PII: S0161-4754(99)70003-5


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