Chiropractor for Colic: Safe, Gentle Relief for Your Baby in the Twin Cities
It’s 3:00 AM. You’ve been pacing the hallway for three hours. You’ve tried the “football hold,” the white noise machine, the special anti-colic bottles, and the gentle rocking. But your baby is still screaming—knees tucked up to their chest, face bright red, completely inconsolable.
If you are the parent of a colicky baby, you know that “exhausted” doesn’t even begin to describe how you feel. You feel helpless. You feel heartbroken. And if one more person tells you, “Don’t worry, they’ll just grow out of it,” you might actually lose it.
When you take a colicky baby to the pediatrician, you’re often told that colic is a mystery—that it’s just “part of being a baby,” and it will eventually pass. But “eventually” feels like a lifetime when your child is in pain, and nobody in the house is sleeping.
Here is what many parents in St. Paul are discovering: Colic isn’t always a mystery. Often, it’s a physical issue that responds beautifully to gentle chiropractic care.
At Twin Cities Chiropractic, Dr. Scot Sorum has spent over 25 years helping families find relief. As a father of four himself, he knows exactly what you’re going through. Let’s talk about what colic actually is, why it might be happening, and how a pediatric chiropractor can help your baby finally find some peace.
What Exactly is Colic?
Pediatricians usually diagnose colic using the “Rule of Three”: crying for more than 3 hours a day, at least 3 days a week, for at least 3 weeks.
But colic isn’t a disease; it’s a symptom. It’s a catch-all term for “my baby is crying, and I don’t know why.” Most experts believe it’s related to digestive distress, gas, or an overstimulated nervous system. The baby feels physical discomfort that they can’t communicate, so they do the only thing they can: they scream.
The Birth Connection: Why the Spine Matters
You might be wondering, “How could a baby possibly have a back or neck problem? They haven’t even started crawling yet!”
The answer lies in the birth process. Even a “perfect,” natural delivery is incredibly stressful on a newborn’s tiny body. There is an immense amount of pressure, twisting, and pulling on a baby’s head and neck as they enter the world. If there were interventions like Pitocin, forceps, a vacuum, or a C-section, the physical stress would be even higher.
This can cause tiny misalignments in the upper neck (the cervical spine). In a newborn, these misalignments don’t show up as “back pain.” Instead, they interfere with the Vagus Nerve.
The Vagus nerve is the “information superhighway” of the body. It exits the brainstem right at the top of the neck and travels down to the digestive system. It controls how the stomach empties and how the intestines move. If the upper neck is misaligned from birth, it can “irritate” that nerve, leading to:
- Slow digestion
- Painful gas and bloating
- Acid reflux
- An overactive “fight or flight” response (making the baby jumpy and unable to relax)
When a baby’s digestive system isn’t working correctly, they get gassy and uncomfortable. They cry, they swallow more air, which leads to more gas, and the cycle of colic continues.
Is Chiropractic Safe for Babies? (The “Pinky Finger” Rule)
This is the #1 question parents ask, and it’s a completely valid concern. If you’ve ever seen an adult get a chiropractic adjustment, you might be picturing loud “cracks” or forceful movements.
Infant chiropractic care looks nothing like adult care.
When Dr. Sorum adjusts a newborn or an infant, he uses what we call the “Pinky Finger Rule.” The amount of pressure he uses to correct a misalignment in a baby’s neck or back is about the same amount of pressure you would use to check the ripeness of a tomato or a peach. It is a very light, sustained fingertip touch.
There is no “cracking,” no twisting, and no sudden movements. In fact, many babies are so relaxed during the adjustment that they sleep right through it. Others might let out a little cry of surprise, but they quickly settle down once the physical tension in their body is released.
How a Pediatric Chiropractor Helps with Colic
When you bring your baby to Twin Cities Chiropractic, we don’t just start “adjusting.” We start by listening.
Dr. Sorum will talk with you about your pregnancy, the birth process, and exactly when the crying spells happen. He’ll perform a very gentle physical exam, feeling for areas of tension in the baby’s spine and checking their reflexes.
By correcting those tiny misalignments in the spine, we are doing two things:
- Calming the Nervous System: We take the “irritation” off the nerves, allowing the baby’s body to shift out of “stress mode” and into “growth and relaxation mode.”
- Improving Digestion: When the nerves communicating with the gut are clear, the digestive system can move gas and food more efficiently, reducing the pain that causes the crying.
What the Research Says
This isn’t just anecdotal. Several studies have looked at the effect of chiropractic care on colicky infants. One famous study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that colicky babies who received chiropractic care showed a 67% reduction in crying compared to those who didn’t.
Another study found that babies under chiropractic care slept better and were generally more “settled” than those who weren’t. For a parent who hasn’t had a full night’s sleep in weeks, that 67% reduction feels like a miracle.
Why Choose Twin Cities Chiropractic for Your Family?
When it comes to your baby, experience matters. You want someone who has seen thousands of cases and understands the delicate nature of a developing spine.
Dr. Scot Sorum has been providing pediatric chiropractic care in St. Paul since 2001. Over the last 25 years, he has helped hundreds of local families navigate the “colic months” and get back to enjoying their new baby.
Because we believe in a whole-body approach, we also look at the soft tissue. If your baby has significant muscle tension from birth trauma, they may also benefit from the gentle touch of our Licensed Massage Therapist, Joy Vang. Together, we ensure your baby’s body is balanced, relaxed, and functioning perfectly.
You Don’t Have to “Just Wait It Out”
If your gut is telling you that your baby is in physical discomfort, you are probably right. You don’t have to wait months for them to “grow out of it” while your entire family suffers from sleep deprivation and stress.
Chiropractic care is a safe, drug-free, and incredibly gentle way to help your baby feel better.
Ready to help your baby (and yourself) finally get some rest? Call Twin Cities Chiropractic at 651-224-1921. We are located at 506 N. Lexington Parkway in St. Paul. Dr. Sorum is here to help your family thrive. Call today to schedule a gentle pediatric evaluation.