Pre-natal Chiropractic Care
Prenatal chiropractic care can help to avoid or relieve many of the primary complaints of pregnant women such as muscle strains, back, pelvis and neck pain. By establishing pelvic balance and proper spinal alignment and maintaining optimal function of the woman’s nervous system, chiropractic care is a safe, drug-free option for making pregnancies and deliveries easier and healthier, for both the mother and the baby.
Many common pregnancy problems are primarily due to changes that affect the pelvic and spinal ligaments, muscles, joints and other supportive soft tissues. In some cases, they lead to misalignments of the pelvic and spinal structures, and may affect the normal spinal curvature of the expectant mother. The majority of such pregnancy-related pain conditions will quickly disappear with chiropractic care.
* Lower Back Pain: Pregnancy-related lower back pain is usually the result of a condition known as ‘sacroiliac joint dysfunction’, which chiropractors call ‘SI subluxation’ (subluxations are misalignments of body joints that lead to irritation of nerves and tissues in the surrounding area). As the body adjusts to weight gain and the change in weight distribution during pregnancy, spinal and pelvic muscles and ligaments sustain additional stress. To facilitate the delivery process, a pregnant woman’s body produces increased amounts of hormones like Relaxin that cause muscle and ligament relaxation. Together, all these factors can result in misalignments (subluxations) of the spine and pelvis, increasing the stress on the joints, nerves, and discs in the lower back and pelvis and creating pain.
* Sciatica (pain, weakness, numbness or tingling in one or sometimes both legs) is also often the result of subluxations in the low back or pelvis.
* Neck Pain and Headaches: Subluxations in the neck area can be the reason for the neck pain and headaches experienced by many mothers-to-be. As the pregnancy advances, the woman’s center of gravity changes – and so does her posture, creating extra stress in the neck and the middle back.
Chiropractic care is beneficial for treating other, non-pain related, pregnancy issues as well. A misaligned (subluxated) pelvis could mean that the ligaments connecting the uterus to the pelvis are affected, which in turn affects the position of the uterus and the growing baby. When a doctor of Chiropractic corrects subluxations of the pelvis, this helps to balance the uterus, often allowing a ‘breech baby’ to assume a more optimal position for delivery.
Chiropractic spinal adjustments during pregnancy are specific, gentle, and safe. The increased relaxation of muscles and ligaments due to hormones mean that less force is required during spinal adjustments. Light pressure is usually applied to the joints of the spine, restoring normal alignment and reducing stress on the nervous system.
Because it enhances the functioning of the nervous system and restores balance to the pelvis and the muscles and ligaments that attach to it, specific chiropractic care throughout pregnancy can lead to better deliveries and provide improved health potential for the mother and her baby, both.
If you consult a doctor of Chiropractic during your pregnancy, make sure that he / she is well-informed of the progress of your pregnancy, any medication you may be taking and your medical history in general.