Pregnancy can create various bodily discomforts, but chiropractic care can provide welcome relief before and during labor for many women. These are among the most significant reasons to seek chiropractic care from an experienced chiropractor, like from Mid-Atlantic Spinal Rehab & Chiropractic, during pregnancy.
Back Pain Relief
Pain can be debilitating for pregnant women who experience muscle strain and tension as their center of gravity shifts. Pregnant women commonly experience ongoing discomfort in various body parts, including their:
- Lower back
- Middle back
- Groin
- Legs
During the third trimester of pregnancy, the body also produces estrogen and relaxin hormones that loosen pelvic ligaments in preparation for birth, but this requires the back to bear more weight, leading to spinal subluxations. Chiropractic massage can realign the spine to reduce pain.
Nausea Relief
An increase in hormone production and spinal misalignments that interfere with how the central nervous system communicates with other body parts, in particular the liver, can lead to nausea during pregnancy. Chiropractic realignments can restore a properly functioning central nervous system and provide relief.
Labor and Delivery Time Reduction
Few women give birth on their due dates, and many have long and arduous labors that result in cesarean deliveries. Consistent chiropractic adjustments, especially during the third trimester, can promote relaxation of the pelvic floor’s muscles and ligaments and gently encourage the fetus’s proper position in preparation to move through the birth canal.
Relaxed pelvic muscles are pliable, causing less pain during labor and reducing pain management drugs during the birthing process.
Breech Birth Reduction
Although chiropractic manipulation does not reposition a fetus in a breech position, it can relax the uterine and pelvic muscles to give the fetus the space it needs to move into the appropriate birthing position freely. The Webster Technique is a spinal manipulation method that aligns the uterus with the pelvis and reduces the muscle tension that can constrain a fetus. When relaxed muscles open space in the uterus, the fetus has a better chance of aligning itself into the proper position for birth.
Post-Birth Recovery
Following birth, the hormones in a woman’s body necessary to prepare for birth are no longer required and disappear or return to normal levels. As muscles in the pelvic region lose the elasticity needed for delivery, the spine misaligns again, causing improper stress on surrounding tissue and nerves. Chiropractic adjustments following labor allow a woman to resume pre-pregnancy movement and activity without discomfort.
Schedule an appointment with a chiropractor as early as possible to discover how you can benefit from chiropractic care during every stage of your pregnancy.