The Effect of Chiropractic Treatment on Infantile Colic A Randomized, Controlled Trial

Infantile colic is a condition that affects more than 10% of babies and their families. The reason, and hence the proper treatment, for this condition is unknown and many causes have been suggested. One of the treatments that parents choose is chiropractic manipulation. In Denmark, around 4,000 babies are treated for colic by chiropractors each year although the effect of chiropractic treatment of infantile colic has not been properly scientifically evaluated.

The effect of chiropractic treatment on infantile colic needs to be investigated since this is a very common disorder with no known effective treatment but with good empirical evidence of the value of chiropractic treatment. Although it is usually considered to be a benign and self-limiting condition, some studies suggest there might be long-term effects in terms of psychomotor problems. In worst case, the infants' crying may also lead to violence and 'shaken baby syndrome'.

Null hypothesis: There is no effect of chiropractic treatment on the course of infantile colic.

This study is a controlled clinical trial, where infants fulfilling the diagnostic criteria for colic will be randomized into two groups. One group will receive treatment and the other won't. This will determine the overall effect and furthermore, subgroup analyses will be performed to identify possible subgroups of infants who will benefit the most from the treatment.

The results from subgroup analyses can help to identify children who might benefit from the treatment. Then treatment can be initiated early and a lot of hardship can be avoided for both the babies and the families.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Infantile Colic
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Chiropractic treatment; Procedure: Visit without active treatment

Detailed Description

OBJECTIVES:

Primary: To investigate the effect of chiropractic treatment on infantile colic.

Secondary: A) To investigate if infants with suspected musculoskeletal problems respond differently to the treatment than those without. B) To investigate whether health visitors and chiropractors can agree on the diagnosis of "suspected musculoskeletal problems".

METHOD:

A randomized controlled single blind multicenter clinical trial with a nested case-crossover study.

Infants fulfilling the diagnostic criteria for colic will be recruited by health visitors and randomized to chiropractic treatment or no treatment. The parents will be unaware of the child's allocation. All children will be taken to the chiropractors' treatment room while the parents stay in the reception areas. Before treatment, both the recruiting health visitors and the chiropractors will note, whether they suspect musculoskeletal involvement or not. All analyses will be adjusted for known confounders, which will be recorded by the health visitor at baseline.

PERSPECTIVE FOR HEALTH CARE:

First of all, the study will evaluate the effect of chiropractic treatment of infantile colic. Secondly, it will clarify if the treatment effect differ between children with suspected musculoskeletal problems and those without. If children with musculoskeletal problems respond better to chiropractic treatment than others, the study will also indicate whether the health nurse is able to identify these children.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 29
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Denmark
  • DK
    • Odense, DK, Denmark, 5230
      • Nordic Institute of Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 2 weeks to 2 months (Child)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age: 2-10 weeks.
• Minimum crying and fussing: three hours per day, three days per week.

Exclusion criteria:

• Known disease.
• Unsatisfying weight gain.
• Psychological or developmental compromise.
• Contraindications for chiropractic treatment.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Chiropractic treatment; Manipulation and/or mobilisation	Procedure: Chiropractic treatment; Other Names: Manipulation, mobilisation
Placebo Comparator: Visit without active treatment; The child is brought in for chiropractic treatment, but no active treatment is delivered. The parents are unaware whether treatment is delivered or not.	Procedure: Visit without active treatment; The child is brought in for chiropractic treatment, but no active treatment is delivered. The parents are unaware whether treatment is delivered or not.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Decrease in hours of crying	Two weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Nordic Institute of Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics
• Collaborators: University of Southern Denmark; Foundation for the Advancement of Chiropractic Research
• Investigators: Study Director: Lise Hestbaek, PhD, Nordic Institute of Chiropractic and Clinical Biomechanics

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: September 1, 2009
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 1, 2012
• Study Completion (Actual): August 1, 2012

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: August 6, 2009
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 6, 2009
• First Posted (Estimate): August 7, 2009

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): November 7, 2012
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 6, 2012
• Last Verified: November 1, 2012

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Randomized controlled trial; Chiropractic; Manipulation; Infantile colic
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Colic
• Other Study ID Numbers: RCT Colic; CVK S-20090056