People often associate chiropractic care with back pain. Though it’s used to relieve many problems from sciatica to herniated discs, this care modality is actually centered upon improving how your entire nervous system functions.
It may surprise you to learn that chiropractic care can relieve pregnancy-related discomfort for moms-to-be who deal with routine issues like morning sickness, swollen feet, and back pain.
Dr. Steven Foley, Dr. Jacob Holdren, and the caring team at Regenerative Health & Wellness Medical Center have harnessed the power of chiropractic care so it can benefit a deserving segment of patients: pregnant women. Pregnancy is a time when your body goes through an astounding number of changes very quickly. Chiropractic care can help with several of the resulting symptoms.
Which pregnancy changes can cause discomfort and potential problems?
As your body accommodates your developing baby, you may experience:
- Changes in your posture
- Pelvic transitions leading to misalignment
- Intensified curve of your back
- Discomfort relating to your protruding abdomen
If your pelvis is misaligned, it can pose problems for your baby, the most prominent of which is crowding, or intrauterine constraint. This can lead to your baby having a harder time getting into an ideal position before the birth, which means you may need more medical intervention at delivery.
The importance of your nervous system’s health can’t be overstated, and its condition during your pregnancy is no exception. Proper spinal alignment sets you up for a more efficient birth.
Chiropractic care offers pregnant women a host of benefits
When you’re pregnant, the changes your body goes through during a short period of time make you vulnerable to a wide range of uncomfortable symptoms, including:
- Morning sickness (pregnancy nausea)
- Joint pain
- Back or neck pain
- Prolonged labor
Visiting our team at Regenerative Health & Wellness Medical Center can bring relief for all of these problems and even reduce the likelihood that you’ll need a C-section.
How chiropractic care can get your baby in the right position
The problem we referred to earlier, intrauterine constraint, can cause your baby to get into a posterior position (when their face is toward your abdomen rather than your back), or a breech position (feet-first) before birth.
Chiropractic care focuses on proper pelvic balance and ensuring that your baby has ample room to get into optimal positioning before birth, setting you up for an easier birth.
Back pain during pregnancy
One of the most common complaints of pregnant women is lower back pain. In fact, half of all expectant mothers suffer from it. Our chiropractic treatments can offer relief from this discomfort, as well as joint pain associated with pregnancy — they may also shorten your time in labor.
A range of chiropractic treatments exist for pregnant women
When you visit your chiropractor at Regenerative Health & Wellness Medical Center, we offer passive physical therapy treatments, which include ice and heat therapy. The ice treatment can help with pain and swelling, while heat therapy increases blood flow and loosens stiff muscles. We may alternate between the two to maximize their benefits.
Massage therapy is another type of passive PT that can soothe pregnancy discomfort.
We may opt to treat you with the diversified technique, which helps treat joint discomfort and expands your movement. During treatment, we use rapid, short thrusts to treat joint problems.
We may also use a technique called the Activator Methods TechniqueⓇ, brief, gentle impulses with a handheld device to particularly focus on back and neck pain.
Another approach, the Thompson technique, employs a special table equipped with sections that can drop slightly during your treatment. This feature optimizes the thrust and lessens the force required for the adjustment, allowing your joint to open while you’re receiving the adjustment.
We also offer the diversified technique, which helps with joint discomfort and expands your movement. During treatment, we use rapid, short thrusts to treat joint problems.
Finally, spinal decompression is a popular treatment for pregnant women because it delivers relief for pain related to sciatica (pain that goes from your lower back down your leg) and back pain. The key to this treatment is that it stretches and lengthens your spine, easing pressure on your discs.
Embrace chiropractic care if you’re pregnant
Any treatment that can enhance your comfort during pregnancy that’s safe and puts no pressure on your abdomen is a good idea. Chiropractic treatment meets both of these requirements. Pregnancy is a nine-month-long adventure (and sometimes a rollercoaster ride) of thrills and surprises, and caring for yourself well impacts your comfort during pregnancy and delivery.
Call our Holly or Colorado Springs office to learn more about how chiropractic care may support your health specifically during pregnancy, or reach out to us through our website.