The moment you find out you are pregnant is a special time filled with joy, nerves, and excitement. You are also probably still feeling great physically. Eventually, hormonal changes take over, and that little baby bump grows, throwing off your center of gravity. Then, suddenly, you take a step and feel a sharp twinge in your lower back. Ouch! Many women experience back pain throughout pregnancy. However, many moms-to-be don’t realize there is safe and effective help for back pain during pregnancy—it’s chiropractic care!
Pregnancy is an extraordinary time in your life, and this is the time to take good care of your body and your growing baby. Eating right, exercising, and visiting your healthcare provider are all ways to maintain a healthy pregnancy, but adding a prenatal chiropractor to that list can make all the difference in how you feel for those long nine months. Not only does chiropractic care help to decrease low back pain, but it has also been shown to increase the chances of safe and natural labor.
Why does your back hurt during pregnancy?
Several physiological and endocrinological (hormonal) changes occur in the maternal body in preparation for creating the environment for a developing baby. This includes hormonal changes that loosen ligaments and joints, a protruding abdomen, increased back curvature, pelvic changes, and postural adaptations. These can all result in a misaligned spine or joints, also known as segmental dysfunction of the spine. Segmental dysfunction (chiropractic vertebral subluxation) results from improper motion or position in the vertebra or sacroiliac joints. This affects nerve communications that can cause muscles to spasm. This can cause back pain and many painful conditions during pregnancy, such as sacroiliac joint dysfunction, sciatica, diastasis symphysis pubis, and round ligament pain.
Pelvis misalignment is another symptom that can occur in pregnancy and can cause a reduction in the amount of room available for the developing baby. This restriction is called intrauterine constraint. A misaligned pelvis may make it difficult for the baby to get into the best possible position for delivery, causing the baby to be in a breech or posterior presentation. This can affect the mother’s ability to have a natural, non-invasive birth and lead to interventions such as Cesarean sections.
How does chiropractic adjustment help?
Chiropractic adjustments can help to align the pelvis and spine, reducing the tension on the nerves and muscles, decreasing pain, and keeping the pelvis in good alignment to allow the baby room to get in the best head-down position for delivery. Prenatal chiropractors are trained in The Webster Technique, a specific chiropractic analysis and diversified adjustment. The goal of the adjustment is to reduce the effects of sacral subluxation and SI joint dysfunction. Adjustments help the neuro-biomechanical function in the pelvis to improve.
What is the Webster Technique?
Webster Technique is used throughout pregnancy. We encourage patients to start treatment as soon as they become pregnant. This will help keep the pelvis properly aligned while the body changes due to the baby’s growth. The technique is used when a misaligned pelvis causes the tightening and torsion of specific pelvic muscles and ligaments. These tense muscles and ligaments and their constraining effect on the uterus prevent the baby from achieving the best possible position for birth.
Webster is a safe and effective adjustment throughout pregnancy. Webster is done using very gentle, low force with the help of a drop table. It does not hurt the baby or the mom. Most moms leave the office feeling much better than when they walked in!
Do I need to continue care after baby is born?
Chiropractic care isn’t just helpful during pregnancy. It is also crucial after you give birth. Your body just went through a major event that can cause joints to shift. Often after birth, whether vaginally or via c-section, the mother’s pelvic biomechanics change—these changes can bring discomfort with walking, nursing, and sleeping. Adjustments can help restore the pelvic balance with similar manipulation, exercises, and stretches used during prenatal care. Adjustments can help to realign the pelvis before all of the hormones in the body decrease and the joints solidify. This will help prevent future back pain and help set your body and pelvis up to be in proper alignment for future pregnancies. The best time to get adjusted postpartum is within the first six weeks.
Every person should be under chiropractic care. Please visit your local chiropractor today to see how amazing your body can feel!
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