👶 When Baby Won’t Stop Crying: Can Gentle Hands Help?
- Julian Simpson
- 3 days ago
- 8 min read
👶 When Baby Won’t Stop Crying: Can Gentle Hands Help?
Exploring How Manual Therapies May Ease Infant Colic
Every parent knows that feeling — your baby cries for hours, and no matter what you do, nothing seems to help. You’ve fed them, changed them, burped them, rocked them… and still, the crying goes on.
This may be more than just a “fussy phase.” It could be infantile colic — one of the most common and frustrating early-life challenges for parents and babies alike.
But here’s some good news: growing evidence suggests that gentle, hands-on therapies — including chiropractic care — may help comfort colicky babies, reduce crying, and improve sleep.
💭 What Exactly Is Colic?
Colic typically appears between 2 and 12 weeks of age. The classic “rule of threes” defines it as crying for 3 or more hours a day, at least 3 days a week, for 3 weeks or more.
Newer definitions are a bit broader — any baby under 5 months old who has recurrent and prolonged bouts of fussiness or inconsolable crying, even when otherwise healthy, may have colic.
Around 1 in 5 infants experience it in the first few months of life. While it’s not dangerous, it can be incredibly distressing for both baby and parents. Sleep loss, anxiety, and even postnatal depression are all linked to the exhaustion colic can cause.
🧠 What Causes Colic?
That’s the tricky part — no one knows for sure.Possible contributors include:
Immature digestion or gut discomfort
Tension or restricted movement in the spine or muscles
Overstimulation of the nervous system
Feeding difficulties or reflux
Parental stress (which babies often pick up on!)
Because the cause isn’t clear, treatment can feel like guesswork — with many parents trying everything from formula changes to medication, often with limited success.
✋ What the Research Says About Manual Therapies
A 2024 scoping review looked at seven clinical trials exploring manual interventions for infantile colic — including gentle chiropractic adjustments, craniosacral therapy, abdominal massage, reflexology, and paediatric Tuina (a form of Chinese massage).
Across the studies, several key trends stood out:
✅ Reduced crying time — In five of the seven trials, babies who received gentle manual therapy cried less each day compared to control groups. Some studies showed crying reduced by up to three hours per day.
😴 Improved sleep — Many parents reported their babies slept longer and more soundly after sessions, suggesting a calmer, more settled nervous system.
💗 Happier parents — Parents consistently felt more confident, reassured, and satisfied when they were supported through hands-on, holistic care.
🚼 Safe and gentle — Importantly, no serious side effects were reported across any of the studies. When delivered by trained professionals using soft, controlled techniques, manual therapy appeared both safe and well tolerated for infants.
🌿 Why Gentle Chiropractic Care Can Make a Difference
At Health Wise Chiropractic, we approach infant colic through the lens of the nervous system.
Birth — even when natural — can place stress on an infant’s spine and neck. Small misalignments or areas of tension may interfere with how the nervous system regulates digestion, sleep, and comfort.
Our chiropractors use gentle, precise, low-force techniques designed for babies — often no more pressure than you’d use to test a ripe tomato. The goal isn’t to “crack” or manipulate forcefully, but to restore balance, improve motion, and help your baby’s body self-regulate.
When the nervous system calms, digestion often improves, and babies can relax — which means more sleep and less crying for everyone.
👶 Ready to Help Your Baby (and Yourself) Find Calm Again?
If your little one is struggling with constant crying, restlessness, or poor sleep, chiropractic care may offer gentle relief and support for the whole family.
At Health Wise Chiropractic, our experienced chiropractors are trained in paediatric care and use gentle, evidence-informed techniques tailored to your baby’s comfort and safety.
📅 Book an appointment today and take the first step toward calmer days — and more peaceful nights.
Posture Correction Chiropractor
Q: Can chiropractic correct bad posture?Yes, chiropractic care can help realign the spine and retrain muscles for better posture.
Q: What causes poor posture?Common causes include desk jobs, phone use, weak muscles, and spinal misalignments.
Q: How long does posture correction take?It varies — some patients notice changes within weeks, others need longer-term care.
Q: Can posture correction reduce pain?Yes, correcting posture often reduces back pain, neck pain, and headaches.
For more information about how we can help YOU with your pain and improve your underlying dysfunction so the problem doesn’t come back .
Please call Health Wise Chiropractic 03 9467 7889 or book online to see one of our Chiropractors in Sunbury or Melton/Strathtulloh Today!
We are also really proud to offer our patients an APP for their Mobile- iPad. With access to your rehab exercises and our health tip blogs with over 600 articles.
Chiropractic has moved online. We offer our online program -STAND CORRECTED- To help you through the day.
We have over 30 programs on different health conditions
Each program contains
- Information about the conditions
- things to do and things to avoid
- nutrition advice
- all the stretches that are needed to help
Tedeschi R, Giorgi F. Exploring Manual Interventions for Infantile Colic: A Scoping Review of the Evidence. Children (Basel). 2025 Sep 17;12(9):1246. doi: 10.3390/children12091246. PMID: 41007111; PMCID: PMC12468284.
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