The chiropractic care of infants with colic: a systematic review of the literature.

PURPOSE

To perform a systematic review of the literature on the chiropractic care of patients with infantile colic.

METHODS

The following databases were interrogated: MANTIS [1965-2010]; Pubmed [1966-2010]; Index to Chiropractic Literature [1984-2010]; EMBASE [1974-2010]; AMED [1967-2010]; CINAHL [1964-2010]; Alt-Health Watch [1965-2010], and PsychINFO [1965-2010]. Inclusion criteria were manuscripts addressing the chiropractic care of infantile colic published in the English language.

RESULTS

Our systematic review of the literature revealed 26 articles meeting our inclusion criteria. These consisted of three clinical trials, two survey studies, six case reports, two case series, four cohort studies, five commentaries, and four reviews of the literature. Our findings reveal that chiropractic care is a viable alternative to the care of infantile colic and congruent with evidence-based practice, particularly when one considers that medical care options are no better than placebo or have associated adverse events.

CONCLUSIONS

Chiropractic care is an alternative approach to the care of the child with colic. We encourage more research, both quantitative and qualitative, in this area of pediatric care.