Osteopathy and Colic

Last Friday I went to a moms group in Clarkson to chat about some common pediatric concerns and this time brought along Catherine Cabral-Marotta. She is my guest blogger today and she's chatting about one of the concerns she covered on Friday - colic. Here's her take on colic!


Dr. Paul Roumeliotis describes colic as a condition characterized by bouts of continual and intense, often high-pitched, crying in an otherwise healthy infant. These bouts are noted to last anywhere from 2-4 hours per day for several days at a time. These newborns often draw the legs up into the abdomen and can be seen clenching their fists as if in pain. Many infants will grow out of their colic within the first four months of life, however a number of children do not, and these are the babies who are often seen by the osteopathic practitioner. Factors that contribute to colic that can be addressed by the osteopathic manual practitioner include:
- labour complications that cause compression of the base of the infants skull (cranium)
- irritation of the vagus nerve as a result of the child beginning to lift their head up when on their tummy
- muscular tension or nerve irritation that may affect the contents of the thorax or gut, especially the diaphragm
Osteopathic treatment is a gentle, safe and effective technique for babies and children that utilizes very specific light-pressure techniques to assist that natural desire of the body to remedy mechanical imbalances and return the body to a state of health. For more information, please contact Catherine Cabral-Marotta at the Zawada Health clinic.

1. www.canadianparents.com/article/colic-and-babies
2. http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/integrativecare-therapies-os1