Pregnancy & Chiropractic

Many women seek chiropractic treatment during pregnancy and we can help explain why. When a woman is pregnant there is a large amount of stress applied to her body, more specifically her pelvis, uterus, and the ligaments that attach to it. As you know, a chiropractor works with the nervous system. We also know that the nervous system is the master communicator to all the body systems including the reproductive system. Keeping the spine aligned allows the entire body to work more effectively. While many seek chiropractic care to relieve back, neck or joint pain there are a plethora of potential benefits for seeing a chiropractor during pregnancy. Some of those include maintaining a healthier pregnancy, controlling symptoms of nausea, reducing sciatic pain, reducing the time of labor and delivery, and even preventing a potential caesarian delivery. How is this possible you might be thinking? Well, many chiropractors, myself included, have attained the extra certification to specifically analyze and adjust pregnant women. Our main goal when adjusting a pregnant woman is to balance the pelvis. When the pelvis is misaligned it may reduce the amount of room available for the developing baby. This is called intrauterine constraint. A misaligned pelvis may also make it difficult for the baby to get in the correct position for delivery. When the pelvis is balanced there is a reduction of the undue stress to the uterus and the supporting ligaments. This balanced state in the pelvis has been clinically shown to allow for optimal fetal positioning. Many wonder if it’s safe for a pregnant woman to seek chiropractic care. And the answer to that is absolutely. It’s not only safe, it’s essential. “The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) recommends that women receive chiropractic care throughout their pregnancy to establish pelvic balance and optimize the room a baby has for development throughout the pregnancy. This makes a lot of sense because with a balanced pelvis, babies have a greater chance of moving into the correct position for birth, and the crisis and stress associated with a breech or posterior presentation may be avoided all together. Optimal baby positioning at the time of birth also eliminates the potential for dystocia (difficult labor) and therefore results in easier and safer deliveries for both the mother and the baby.”