The Facts about Chiropractic Care during Pregnancy

Introduction:

Pregnancy is a miraculous journey, but it also comes with its fair share of physical challenges, notably in the form of lower back pain, affecting about half of all expectant mothers. Despite the body’s remarkable ability to adapt to the demands of carrying a child, the physiological changes can exact a toll, leading to discomfort and strain. Understanding the intricacies of these changes and seeking effective relief measures like chiropractic care becomes paramount for ensuring a smoother, more comfortable pregnancy experience.

Key Takeaways:

• Pregnancy places significant stress on the body, particularly the lower back, with around 50% of expectant mothers experiencing low back pain.
• Physiological changes like increased spinal curvature and pelvic adjustments contribute to this discomfort.
• Chiropractic care offers a safe and effective solution, addressing spinal misalignments and pelvic imbalances.
• The Webster Technique, a specific chiropractic method, can aid in correcting fetal positioning and reducing the risk of breech delivery.
• Regular chiropractic visits during pregnancy can lead to a healthier pregnancy, reduced pain, shorter labor, and a lower likelihood of cesarean delivery.

Why do expectant mothers often experience lower back pain, and how can it be relieved?

Pregnancy causes shifts in center of gravity, spinal curvature changes, and weight gain, leading to back pain. Chiropractic care addresses misalignments, providing relief and potential benefits for pregnancy and delivery.

If you are or have been an expectant mother, you will know that being pregnant places a great deal of stress on your body, particularly your lower back. In fact, studies show that around 50% of expectant mothers will suffer from low back pain at some time during their pregnancy. Although the female body is equipped to carry a developing baby, the process nevertheless puts you under a good deal of physical strain.

The Stresses of Pregnancy

You may be wondering why, if nature designed you to become pregnant, it can be such a physically uncomfortable experience. There are actually a number of reasons for this. Firstly, your center of gravity starts to move forward as your pregnancy progresses. While your pelvis is made to carry a baby, this shift in your center of gravity still puts pressure on your joints. As your baby develops further, your lower spine increases in curvature. This puts strain on your vertebrae. Your upper spine also curves to help your body compensate for the extra load. Added to all of this is the fact that you gain up to an extra 35 pounds in weight.

All-in-all, your spine takes a fair amount of punishment as your pregnancy moves along. By the time you’ve progressed to the latter stages, your baby’s head is pressing down on your back and buttocks, which can irritate your sciatic nerve. This is one of the most common causes of lower back pain during late pregnancy.

While you may not think there is much you can do to relieve the effects of back pain when you are pregnant, visiting a chiropractor is certainly something you should consider. Chiropractic care is a much safer alternative to taking medication for the pain and there are other clear advantages too.

Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy :

During their training, all chiropractors learn to work with pregnant women and some practitioners specialize in providing pre and postnatal chiropractic care. As a patient, you and your growing baby are at no risk when undergoing chiropractic neck pain treatment near me and the benefits to your wellness are significant. A chiropractor can identify and correct any misalignments or “subluxations” in your spine. Subluxations are a common problem for pregnant women due to the physiological changes that take place in an expectant mother’s body. Common causes of subluxations during pregnancy include:

• Increased curvature of the spine and protrusion of the abdomen
• Postural adaptations
• Changes in the pelvis

As well as causing spinal misalignments, these changes can also result in pelvic imbalances, which can also be successfully corrected with chiropractic care. It’s quite important to have these imbalances corrected, since they can restrict the amount of room available for your developing baby and may even make it difficult for the child to move into the best possible position for delivery.

There is in fact, a very specific method of chiropractic treatment to establish balance in your pelvis, known as the Webster Technique. This technique actually creates the conditions allowing for correct fetal positioning and greatly reduces the risk of a breech delivery. A study in the July/August 2002 edition of The “Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics” determined that when the Webster technique was used on pregnant chiropractic patients, 82% of babies that would potentially have been incorrectly positioned for birth, successfully turned vertex.

Get the Maximum Benefit from Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy :

There are a number of important health benefits in receiving chiropractic care during your pregnancy. These benefits include:

• Maintenance of a healthier pregnancy
• A reduction in attacks of nausea
• A reduction of time spent in labor and delivery
• Relief from back, neck or joint pain
• Prevention of the need for cesarean delivery

In order to get the maximum benefit from chiropractic care during your pregnancy, it’s best to make your first appointment early on. In fact, if you are not yet pregnant, but are planning to try for a baby, beginning a chiropractic regimen beforehand can also help increase your chances of conception by allowing the nerves related to your reproductive system to function at full capacity and prevent any blockages of those nerves.

During your pregnancy, regular visits to your chiropractor to keep your spine aligned and your pelvis balanced will greatly reduce your likelihood of developing back pain in the later stages. It’s perfectly safe to have chiropractic care while you are pregnant.

While you are pregnant, certain hormones are released in your body, which cause your ligaments to relax. This is to make the process of childbirth easier. However, after childbirth, the ligaments tighten up. If you have suffered any injuries from incorrect lifting or reaching while you were pregnant, your chiropractor should treat them within eight weeks from when you delivered your baby. This will prevent you from suffering any shoulder problems, muscle tension, headaches or rib discomfort.

Before, during and after your pregnancy, you can avoid the need for medication; reduce your chances of suffering lower back pain and make carrying your unborn child a more pleasing experience. Chiropractic care is for everyone, but it can be particularly helpful when your body has the extra work of nurturing your developing baby.