A Gentle Approach for Colic and Ear Infections

As a parent our number one priority is keeping our kids safe and comfortable. I remember a few rough nights with Marshall as a baby where nothing we could do would calm him down. Maybe he was overtired or overstimulated from the day. Maybe his brain was processing something new he learned that day, but we were lucky that looking back it felt like the days that were unmanageable were few compared to the many nights he was content. As a new parent, two of the more challenging conditions we can face with our babies right from birth are colic and recurrent ear infections. Both of these conditions lead to a baby who cannot be calmed down and it feels like there’s nothing the parent or caregiver can do except wait. 

Colic is described as excessive, inconsolable crying in infants, at all hours of the day and night. It is a challenging experience for both babies and new parents since no one is getting sleep or rest. Between that and all the diaper changes and feeds I don’t know how parents are able to manage their day to day life. Luckily we didn’t experience this with Marshall, but I have several close family members and friends who have. Oftentimes parents look towards potentially changing the baby’s diet– maybe they have a sensitivity in breastmilk or formula. There are different ways to hold a baby that may help with reflux or more skin to skin contact to help soothe the baby. What many parents don’t know is that studies have shown that pediatric chiropractic care may alleviate symptoms associated with colic by regulating the nervous system and relieving overall body tension and stress. The birth process can be traumatic for both the baby’s head and neck. In both vaginal and c-section birth it can take a lot of force to help the baby out of the womb. The number one place that a chiropractor typically checks a baby with colic is upper cervical or in the neck area. Babies cannot tell us that they may be feeling sore or uncomfortable but they can show us different signs like favoring feeding while turning their head to one direction, or holding their head more to one side, or just crying in general. Chiropractic adjustments on babies are extremely gentle and specific and take very little force.

The second common condition that leads to babies being in pain and inconsolable are recurrent ear infections. Ear infections are in the top three reasons infants and young children go to the pediatrician- it’s actually about 35% of the visits. Some common symptoms associated with an ear infection are tugging or pulling at the ear, trouble sleeping, ear drainage, and even fever. Ever wonder why adults don't seem to get ear infections but kiddos do? Babies and kid’s eustachian tubes inside the ear are shorter, narrower, and more horizontal than adults and as kids mature the eustachian tube slowly orients more vertically. Kiddos’ eustachian tubes slope downward only about 10 degrees compared to adult’s tubes that slant 35 degrees. Since the tubes are more horizontal, this allows fluid and bacteria to sit inside the ear instead of draining. This is the main reason children suffer from more ear infections than adults. Six muscles contribute to the opening and closing of the eustachian tubes— these muscles are located in the ear, head, neck, soft palate, and jaw. Upper cervical chiropractic adjustments focused on the atlas bone can actually reduce tension on these tiny muscles that attach to the eustachian tube to help aid in fluid drainage which in turn can reduce ear infections. 

Pediatric chiropractic care is a gentle and non-invasive approach that offers a wide range of benefits for children, especially conditions such as colic and ear infections. Palmer trained chiropractors use gentle and specific techniques to deliver adjustments that are safe, painless, and adaptable to the specific needs of each child.