Benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy:
- Decreased labor and delivery time
- Preparing the pelvis for labor and delivery
- Improving pelvic and uterine position to improve the baby’s position
- Decreasing discomfort
Symptoms chiropractic may help with:
- Low back pain
- Rib pain
- Pubic Symphysis pain
- Neck and mid-back pain
- Nausea
Treatment
- Chiropractic adjustments
- Soft tissue work
- Instructions on exercise, stretching and nutrition
Pregnancy is an exciting and sometimes challenging time in a woman’s life. There are so many changes happening at such a rapid pace. Chiropractic care is a gentle, safe and effective way to help your body adapt to these changes. These changes include weight gain, center of gravity change, hormonal changes and many times increased discomfort.
Your chiropractor will assess the function of each joint in your spine and pelvis to assure that each area is functioning well. If a joint is not moving as well as it should (vertebral subluxation), there can be irritation to the adjacent nerve. This irritation may interfere with the message the nerve is sending to the rest of the body. Gentle adjustments are made to the restricted area to restore the function of the joint and decrease the irritation to the nerve.
The function and movement of the pelvis is an area that your chiropractor will take special care to assess. The pelvis supports the uterus through ligaments. If the pelvis is subluxated, there can be extra pulling on certain ligaments, shifting the position of the uterus. This may not allow the baby to get into the best possible birth position. By improving the position of the pelvis, and thus the position of the baby, the labor time decreases. In one study, women receiving chiropractic care through their first pregnancy had a 24% reduction in labor times, and subjects giving birth for the second or third time reported a 39% reduction in labor times. In another study, the need for analgesics was reduced by 50% in the patients who received adjustments.
As you gain weight, especially in the abdomen, a downward, forward pull on the lower spine occurs. This extra weight, combined with changes in your gait and center of gravity, can set the stage for backache and neck pain. Additionally, as labor approaches, your body secretes a hormone called relaxin, which loosens ligaments. This may exaggerate the effects of an existing spinal or pelvis problem. The positioning of the baby and its movement, as well as expansion of the lower part of the ribcage to accommodate your growing baby, can also cause discomfort in the ribs and upper portion of the lower back. Additionally, your increasing breast size in preparation for lactation can create upper back subluxations. Women can also experience pain in the front of the pelvis known as the pubic symphysis. Chiropractic care is an effective, safe, gentle form of treatment for all of these symptoms. In a study, 84% of women reported relief of back pain during pregnancy with chiropractic care.
As your pregnancy advances, some chiropractic techniques will be modified for your comfort. Your chiropractor is aware of this and will make the necessary modifications. In particular, special pregnancy pillows and tables are used to accommodate your growing belly. A chiropractor trained in the techniques that address uterine constraint or mal-presentations will check for misalignment of the pelvic bones, misalignment of the sacrum and vertebrae, and spasm of the ligaments that support the uterus and help hold the pelvis together. This is called the Webster Technique.
