A woman's body goes through enormous changes when she's pregnant, and chiropractors can support pregnant women to make their pregnancies and births as easy and comfortable as possible.
Physical Changes During Pregnancy
Late in a woman's pregnancy, her protruding abdomen often creates a pronounced curve in the spine in the small of the back. There also are changes in the pelvis as joints soften and the pelvis subtly widens to prepare for birth. To adjust for these physical changes, women might hold their bodies differently or adjust for the changes, which can cause misalignment in the spine. A chiropractor can help realign the spine, and since the spine is a major part of the nervous system, which is the body's master communicator, an aligned spine makes the entire body operate more efficiently. Aligning the spine also can reduce pain in the neck and back or joints. Some women also claim that chiropractic care reduces nausea in early pregnancy.
If a woman's pelvis is naturally misaligned or moves into a misaligned position during a pregnancy, it can have an impact on fetal movement and birth. A misaligned pelvis could reduce the amount of room a fetus has to move. If the fetus doesn't have full freedom of movement, it might not be able to get into the optimal position for birth, which is head down and facing the mother's spine. A baby in a breech position, which is head up, almost always results in a surgical birth. A baby facing the mother's stomach instead of spine doesn't always have to be born via c-section, but labor and birth can be prolonged and difficult. Chiropractors can help align a woman's spine, giving the fetus freedom of movement in order to ease the birth by reducing the length of labor.
Techniques
A chiropractor will take extra precautions when working on a pregnant patient. For example, to keep pressure off the abdomen, chiropractic tables are designed to adjust, leaving plenty of room for a pregnant abdomen when the patient is on her stomach. Most often, these tables split in the middle. Pregnant women interested in chiropractic care should seek out a chiropractor with experience working with pregnant women. If fetal positioning is a concern, a chiropractor who is Webster-certified will have special training in pelvic alignment.
Chiropractic care is not frowned upon during pregnancy; however, a woman should always discuss her plans with her doctor of midwife before seeking the care of a chiropractor. For more information, talk to a chiropractor at a location like Dils Chiropractic.
Share4 November 2016
After suffering with debilitating back pain for years, I decided it might be a good idea to finally meet with a doctor. I didn't want to beat around the bush with the issue, so I headed straight to a specialist who I thought could help me: a chiropractor. Even though it was my first appointment, my doctor was incredible and got to work right away on my problem. He took images of my spine and then talked with me about the results. I found out that several of my vertebrae were eroding, which was putting a lot of pressure on my spinal column. He made adjustments that made me feel a lot better right away. Check out this blog to learn more about how a chiropractor could help you.