Chiropractic Pregnancy Care
Recently I gave a presentation in a natural childbirth class about what chiropractic care can do for expecting mothers. Here are some of the reasons that it can be such a great option for dealing with pregnancy aches and pains. I call it the 3 Facts and 3 Fibs of Chiropractic for Pregnant Women. Here the are:
FACTS
1. FACT - 50% of pregnant women have low back pain during pregnancy. The chances of having back pain during pregnancy increases if you have a history of past low back pain or back pain in a prior pregnancy. In addition a good deal of women who have back pain during pregnancy will continue to have symptoms even after the baby is born. This is to be expected given the wide variety of biomechanical changes that a body undergoes during pregnancy.
2. FACT - Joint stability decreases during pregnancy. There is a hormone that is released into the bloodstream of pregnant women called Relaxin. Serious... it's called Relaxin I'm not making that up. As you might guess the purpose of Relaxin is to relax joints. This is important to allow the joints of the pelvis to loosen so that the pelvis will widen for a baby to drop through. Fortunately it does the job very well. Unfortunately it will affect every joint in the body. This increase in joint laxity can leave a pregnant mother susceptible to joint injury due to decrease in stability.
3. FACT - Spinal manipulation is the treatment of choice for low back pain. Spinal manipulation such as chiropractors do is the most thoroughly researched treatment for low back pain. The overwhelming majority of these studies show that it is as effective or more effective as NSAIDS (medications such as Aleve, Advil, Ibuprofen, etc.). Any pregnant woman can tell you that you can't take any of these over-the-counter drugs while you are pregnant. This leaves spinal manipulation as the best option given that there are virtually no side effects.
FIBS
1. FIB - Chiropractic isn't safe for a fetus. In all of my research I have never found a documented case where an unborn child was harmed by the performance of spinal manipulation. If anything, the opposite is true. Your baby will benefit from your treatment as well. Pain causes an increased level of stress and the production of a hormone called Cortisol. Cortisol has been found in at least one study to contribute to a higher rate of miscarriage of male fetuses and embryos. The best thing to do is to avoid major stressors and pain in particular. As mentioned previously spinal manipulation is the treatment of choice for low back pain.2. FIB - Back pain and discomfort are just a natural part of pregnancy and there is nothing that can be done about it. This couldn't be more false! There are many things that can be done to make pregnancy more comfortable. At the clinic we have massage therapists who specialize in pregnancy massage. Chiropractic care is very appropriate and effective for pain associated with pregnancy including back pain, hip pain, headaches, upper back pain, ankle, knee and foot pain and swelling and more. In addition I am happy to show a spouse or partner stretches and exercises that can be done at home to make pregnancy more comfortable and tolerable.
3. FIB - If you are seeing a chiropractor you shouldn't tell your OB. Most of these doctors understand how uncomfortable pregnancy can be and that there are limited options in their specialty to offer relief. For this reason they often welcome alternatives that can help their patients. In addition, it is important for your safety for your doctor to be kept in the loop on the care you are seeking so that important information can be exchanged between health care professionals if necessary.
So there it is. If you have questions or back pain or anything please let us help you! It is never too early or too late. Take care of your body and it will thank you. Your baby will to!
-Dr. Jason Young, DC, CSCS
Some people suggested my wife to practice yoga in the early stages of pregnancy and she did it and successfully delivered the baby without have gone through the back pain. Nice Article, thanks.
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Wow, I never knew that about Chiropractic Pregnancy Care. That's pretty interesting...
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wonderful post on pregnancy
I've looking for Chinese Pregnancy Calendar this for a long time
thanks very much for sharing....
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I think chiropractic is good for pregnant woman. Because they suffer a lot of pain in their back by carrying a child.
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I never knew that about Chiropractic Pregnancy Care great post, Dr. Alma Nenshi,provides a information and other answer about your question visit our site for additional info.
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.., quite true.. having a back pain is indeed a problem during pregnancy... nice post.. yoga and chiropractic procedure is good team up..
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Pregnant mom should go to a chiropractic clinic so that she will have enough care. They need chiropractic because most of the pregnant mom feels pain on their back.
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During pregnancy period most of the women has low back pain thats why it is very effective for every pregnant women to consult for a chiropractor.
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Chiropractic treatment is good for pregnancy because It will help pregnant mom to ease the pain on their back on carrying a baby on their tummy.
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