Abstract
Infantile colic, a poorly understood but characteristic symptom complex, causes considerable distress to many infants, anguish to their parents and frustration to pediatricians. No method of treatment has consistently provided satisfactory relief during the early months of infancy when this condition disrupts family life. We studied sixty infants with colic (age range 2 wks. to 3 mos.). In a classic ABA, 2 × 2 factorial design which used a highly reliable colic severity score, infants were assigned randomly to receive motion simulation (two frequencies of vibration) with or without added sound. Either of the frequencies of vibration, with or without sound, reduced colic severity significantly in 97% of the infants. Statistical analyses confirmed clinical impressions that the lower frequency vibration with sound was most effective in relief of symptoms. Treatment effect was noted within 4 to 9 minutes, in contrast to prolonged symptoms in infants with untreated colic. During 25 percent of the treatments, infants fell asleep and remained so during posttreatment observation. Thirty-two of the sixty infants either fell asleep or entered a quiet restful state during treatment, but had some degree of return in colic severity when the treatment phase (15 minutes) was completed. Maternal stress levels were reduced during the treatment period of the study but escalated when the equipment was removed from the home. The results of this controlled trial demonstrated an effective and practical treatment approach for relief of infantile colic.
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Loadman, W., Arnold, K., Volmer, R. et al. REDUCING THE SYMPTOMS OF INFANT COLIC BY INTRODUCTION OF A VIBRATION/SOUND BASED INTERVENTION. Pediatr Res 21 (Suppl 4), 182 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00097
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198704010-00097