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Many of our expectant moms ask us, “What are the benefits of chiropractic care in pregnancy?” and there’s no wondering why. Pregnancy leads to many changes, some obvious and others much less noticeable. While it’s no shock to notice your growing belly or changing hormones, other symptoms like backaches, joint pain, round ligament discomfort, loose joints, and a fast posture may be less expected and less appreciated.
When your baby grows and your center of gravity changes, your spine also adjusts. This triggers a chain reaction, putting strain on your musculoskeletal and nervous systems, causing changes you might not even know are connected to pregnancy.
When you experience daily aches and discomfort that limit your movement and make enjoying your pregnancy harder, chiropractic care could be the solution you need.
This guide explains what expectant mothers need to understand the importance how this natural, non-invasive approach to full-body wellness can help make your journey to motherhood less overwhelming and more fulfilling.
Is It Safe To Get Chiropractic Care While Pregnant?
Chiropractic services focus on improving spinal health and correcting joint misalignments. It doesn’t use medications or require surgery. Instead, it’s a physical therapy method that alleviates spinal nerve pressure while enhancing overall health and body function.
More than 1 million chiropractic adjustments are given every day worldwide. Problems are uncommon. Chiropractic treatment is generally considered safe when pregnant. However, in some situations, there might be better choices.
Always consult your doctor and get their approval before visiting a chiropractor while pregnant.
Even though all licensed chiropractors are trained in pregnancy care, some specialize in prenatal care. Check if they have this specialty or request a referral from your doctor.
To adjust pregnant women, chiropractors typically utilize specially designed adjusting tables to support their expanding bellies. Every chiropractor should apply techniques to avoid putting unnecessary pressure on the abdomen.
Chiropractors may also teach you some helpful stretches that are effective for reducing tension and relieving discomfort in your body.
Why Are Chiropractic Care and Physical Therapy Helpful During Pregnancy?
Pregnancy brings about various physiological and hormonal changes that prepare the body to create the ideal environment for the baby’s growth. Though necessary for accommodating the baby, these changes can sometimes cause a misaligned spine or joints:
- Protruding belly and a more noticeable curve in the back
- Changes in the pelvis
- Adjustments in posture
Balancing and aligning the pelvis is another important reason for getting chiropractic care together with physical therapy while pregnant. When the pelvis is out of alignment, it can decrease the available space for the baby as it grows.
This limited space, known as intrauterine constraint, can affect the baby’s ideal position for labor and may cause discomfort. Maintaining spinal alignment helps the entire body function more efficiently.
What are the Benefits of Chiropractic Care in Pregnancy?
Regular prenatal chiropractic care can help with manipulative and physiological therapeutics, ultimately allowing mothers to have a more pleasant pregnancy and delivery.
Relief from Back Pain
As your body prepares for childbirth, it creates a hormone known as relaxin, which softens and loosens up all the ligaments and joints in your pelvic area. This process might cause some people to feel unstable and have spinal nerve stress because the supporting ligaments become weaker and more flexible.
Visiting a chiropractor for regular check-ups and adjustments during pregnancy can relieve pain caused by relaxed joints and ligaments due to the natural effects of relaxin.
Pregnant women may also feel neck pain and upper back pain due to posture problems caused by their developing baby and growing belly weight. Some women may unknowingly arch their backs more as their babies grow heavier and bigger, which can misalign the spine and lead to back pain. Chiropractic care during pregnancy can help fix posture and spinal alignment, reducing discomfort and providing pain relief without the use of any pain medicine.
Establishes Pelvic Balance and Lowers Risk for Delivery Complications
While a body is adjusting to pregnancy, pelvic misalignment is a common occurrence. Pelvic misalignment can restrict the baby’s space to move and grow. It can also make it impossible for the baby to get into the proper position for delivery. This can result in a more invasive delivery, including the possible need for a C-section.
Reduces Time Spent in Labor
Labor is undoubtedly the hardest part of having a baby, so why would anyone want to prolong the time they have to endure it? According to the International Chiropractic Association, first-time mothers who received frequent chiropractic services during their pregnancy spent an average of 25% less labor.
Women who had already previously had a baby showed a 31% reduction in time spent in labor. They also experienced less discomfort during birth. This is most likely due to having the baby in the proper position and having the mother more relaxed, which leads to her experiencing less pain.
Optimal Baby Positioning
A baby who isn’t positioned to be delivered head first during labor is said to be in a breech position, which might cause issues like a very difficult vaginal birth, cord prolapse, or the need for a C-section delivery. Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy helps keep your pelvis balanced and healthy, giving your baby enough space to move head-first into the right delivery position naturally. In your eighth month of pregnancy, prioritize regular chiropractic adjustments to reduce the risk of breech presentation and support ideal positioning.
Pregnant Women Ask: Are There Any Benefits To My Baby?
Seeing a chiropractor may help with the hip and lower back pain that comes during pregnancy, but were you aware it might also help your baby? When the pelvis is not aligned properly, the baby has less room to grow, which might cause certain issues. This condition is called intrauterine constraint, and if untreated, it could result in congenital disabilities.
A misaligned pelvis can also lead to various complications during delivery. This happens because insufficient space can make it challenging for your baby to find the correct position for birth. Ideally, your baby should be delivered head-down and facing your back; however, this is only achievable if there is ample room to move around freely. Suppose the baby happens to end up in a posterior or breech position. In that case, this can complicate the delivery significantly, and the likelihood of having a natural and non-invasive birth decreases considerably.
The evidence clearly shows that outcomes in both labor and delivery are better in women who a chiropractor has treated during pregnancy. In addition to reducing the duration of your labor, chiropractic care can also assist in making you feel more comfortable by alleviating pain in your back, hips, neck, and joints. It can further aid in decreasing the symptoms of nausea you may experience.
How Often Should You Visit a Chiropractor During Pregnancy
Your chiropractor’s treatment plan will specify how often you should arrange your office appointments, but that plan may change as your pregnancy continues. New aches and pains or a decrease in discomfort could result in needing more adjustments or significantly fewer visits. However, many expectant mothers schedule more frequent adjustments as they approach their due date to ensure their bodies are in optimal condition before labor begins.
In general terms, it is quite common to visit your chiropractor once a month during the initial trimester and then every two or three weeks until you reach the final month of your pregnancy, at which point you might arrange weekly appointments until delivery.
Visit A Prenatal Chiropractor Today
Ready to visit a prenatal chiropractor for more information? Most women experience many changes during their pregnancy, including hormonal and physical ones. Visiting a prenatal chiropractor during this time can be beneficial to ensure that the process goes smoothly. Prenatal chiropractors can administer certain treatments to help ease some of the stress that comes with these changes.