Starting with a topic that both Laura and I have been living for the past 6 months – Pregnancy. Many women seek chiropractic care during their pregnancies. In fact, there are chiropractors that devote their entire practice around managing pregnant patients and newborns. While we have strived to be known locally as sports-oriented chiropractors, we can do a great deal to manage our pregnant patients as well!
First of all, everyone wants to know if chiropractic care is safe for a pregnant woman. Research reveals an absence of contraindications on the given topic. While not all chiropractors specialize in pregnancy, all have been trained to work through pregnancy cases safely and effectively. If safety is your primary concern, know that we have special tables and pregnancy pillows that make room for the developing child as well as techniques designed for the pregnant body.
What benefits can chiropractic care bestow upon an expecting mother? The answer is plenty! One of the things we focus on with all of our patients is proper motion and postural well-being. This means muscles are firing in the correct order and posture is not disrupting normal function. Think about what takes place during pregnancy in regards to structural adaptation. Not only is load distribution changing, that load is affecting the peritoneum, bladder, rectum, uterus, other pelvic structures and posture. Pregnancy tends to cause anterior pelvic tilt, affecting the facet joints and muscles of the low back. These biomechanical changes have adverse effects to the neuromusculoskeletal system and are causes of low back pain, SI joint dysfunction, round ligament pain, pubis symphysis dysfunction, hip pain, abdominal pain, rib pain and even neck and shoulder pain.
In fact, the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) “recommends women receive chiropractic care throughout pregnancy to establish pelvic balance and optimize the room a baby has for development throughout pregnancy”(4). We can help manage negative symptoms throughout your pregnancy from musculoskeletal pain (all those fun ones listed above), nerve related conditions such as sciatica and thoracic outlet syndrome, and headaches. We have also been trained in Webster technique which can balance the pelvis and may help avoid breech deliveries.
Like almost everything else, it is recommended you seek advice from your health care practitioner before trying something new during pregnancy. If you have questions, feel free to reach out. Dr. Laura and Dr. Tyler are more than happy to discuss specifics regarding your case.
Here’s to good health and happiness during the most trying yet rewarding 9 months of your life!
Sources:
International Chiropractic Pediatric Association https://www.icpa4kids.org
Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Volume 25, July/August 2002. https://www.jmptonline.org
Pregnancy and chiropractic: a narrative review of the literature https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647084/
Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy: American Pregnancy Association. https://americanpregnancy.org/healthy-pregnancy/pregnancy-health-wellness/chiropractic-care-during-pregnancy-1191/
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