Chiropractic and Pregnancy
Growing a new human being during pregnancy is one of the most amazing accomplishments a woman’s body can do! It takes a cascade of hormones, loads of God-given “innate intelligence” and 9 months of time to get the job done. A woman’s body is well-designed for the task, yet is a lot of change, both for mother and baby – a unique time that deserves attention and care for everyone involved.
Structural changes and physiological adaptations during pregnancy can often contribute to pain. The pelvis, sacrum and vertebrae bear weight very differently as pregnancy progresses, and abdominal organs must move to accommodate a growing little one. This increases pressure on some structures such as the intervertebral discs between each spinal bone. In addition, the mother’s body carries weight more forward than normal and over time can cause imbalances and loss of support in the spine and pelvic tilting. Uncorrected, these imbalances can cause misalignment of joints, muscle spasms and excess pain, stiffness or even injury over time. Another major contributing factor in spinal stresses is laxity or looseness of joints due to hormonal changes during pregnancy.
Good news! Even – and especially – during pregnancy, we’ve got your back. Did you know that not only is chiropractic care safe for pregnancy, it can help with the following?
- Control symptoms of nausea
- Relieve back, neck or joint pain
- Help make room for baby to position properly for birth
- Reduce the time of labor and delivery
- Reduce the likelihood of a potential cesarean delivery
- Improved recovery after birth
Research on 400 pregnancies and deliveries investigated the relationship between pregnancy and low back pain The results indicate that chiropractic care provided relief from back pain during pregnancy in 84% of cases and may significantly decrease the incidence of “back labor.” (The risk of back labor was almost 3 times greater if back pain was experienced during pregnancy.) Chiropractic care for pregnant women may also reduce the likelihood of in-utero constraint, a situation where the baby is not able to move adequately while in the womb, which can prevent optimal positioning for labor and birth.
Likewise, continued care after birth may also be beneficial in assisting proper restoration of normal spinal biomechanics as the joints, muscles, ligaments and organs return to their pre-pregnant positions. Getting adjusted also assists with back fatigue from breastfeeding and helps balance the nervous system to help keep stress-levels manageable.
Do yourself and your baby a favor – get your spine and nervous system checked during and after pregnancy.
Stay tuned for more about the benefits of chiropractic for your baby too!
Dr. Kristen
Reference:
Borggren CL. Pregnancy and Chiropractic: a narrative review of the literature. J Chiropr Med. 2007 Jun;6(2):70-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jcme.2007.04.004. PMID: 19674697; PMCID: PMC2647084.
