Most women do not know that seeing a Chiropractor during pregnancy should be as important as the prenatal visits throughout the pregnancy. When I was pregnant with my daughter my midwife told me that it was top of the list & a must.  In fact, there are some midwives that will not see a woman for her prenatal care unless she is also seeing a Chiropractor in conjunction because its just that important!

So what exactly IS chiropractic:  a branch of medicine which is based upon the understanding that good health depends, in part, upon a normally functioning nervous system (especially the spine, and the nerves extending from the spine to all parts of the body). “Chiropractic” comes from the Greek word Chiropraktikos, meaning “effective treatment by hand.” Chiropractic stresses the idea that the cause of many disease processes begins with the body’s inability to adapt to its environment.

Chiropractic is important in every day life for good health, but is extremely important for the pregnant mom.  So why is it more imporant for the prenant mom? Becasue there are so many changes going on with a woman’s body during pregnancy.

These changes include:

  • release of the hormone relaxin causes muscle and ligament relaxation
    • allows joints to more easily misalign
  • increased weight gain
    • increased demand and fatigue on spinal and pelvic muscles
    • increased stress on spinal and pelvic ligaments
    • increase in lumbar and thoracic spinal curves which further increase the above
    • increased joint stress and thus occurrence of vertebral and sacroiliac joint misalignments
  • change in weight distribution
    • increased demand and fatigue on spinal and pelvic muscles
    • increased stress on spinal and pelvic ligaments
    • increase in lumbar and thoracic spinal curves which further increase the above
    • increased joint stress and thus occurrence of vertebral and sacroiliac joint misalignments

The above changes primarily affect the pelvic and spinal ligaments, muscles, joints and other supportive soft tissues. These changes cause sprain/strains of pelvic and spinal structures, as well as alteration of the normal spinal curvatures and spinal biomechanics. The result is an increased stress on the body leading to pain and discomfort.

Chiropractic care during pregnancy can provide many benefits for women who are pregnant. A few of the benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy include:

  • Maintaining a healthier pregnancy
  • Controlling symptoms of nausea
  • Reducing the time of labor and delivery
  • Relieving back, neck or joint pain
  • Prevent a potential cesarean section

Another benefit of Chiropractic care in pregnancy is for women who find that their baby is breech near term. The late Larry Webster, D.C., Founder of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, developed a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment which enables chiropractors to establish balance in the pregnant woman’s pelvis and reduce undue stress to her uterus and supporting ligaments. This balanced state in the pelvis makes it easier for a breech baby to turn naturally. The technique is known as the Webster Technique.

Even if you aren’t having discomfort in pregnancy and you don’t have any complications with your pregnancy thus far (breech etc) it is still vital for a woman to receive chiropractic care in pregnancy. Check out these studies below:

Low Back Pain During Pregnancy

    In this study, researchers identified the sacroiliac joints of the pelvis (frequently “adjusted” by chiropractors) as being responsible for the majority of low back pain cases in pregnancy. This is due to the significant number of hormonal and biomechanical changes occurring in the pelvis during pregnancy. Researchers found7/10 women were helped by spinal manipulation in this study.
    Bery G, Hammar M, Moller-Nielsen J et al. Obstet and Gynecol, 72:71-75, 1988.

TextBook on Chiropractic & Pregnancy

    According to Dr. Fallon, author and internationally recognized “chiropractic pediatrician”, statistics from her office “have demonstrated that chiropractic adjustments effectively reduce the average amount of time spent in labor.” Her data shows a nearly 25% reduction in the average labor times in those receiving chiropractic care versus the generally accepted average labor time – in women who had given birth in the past, there was a 33% reduction in average labor time.
    Fallon J. International Chiropractic Association. 1994 – Arlington, Virginia.

All in all Chiropractic care in pregnancy is a great tool & should be part of the regular prenatal regimen throughout the 9 months!

Below are a few more links & videos for you to enjoy that share more about this. :)

Links:

~http://www.chiroweb.com/find/whatischiro.html

~http://www.dcdoctor.com/pages/rightpages_wellnesscenter/pregnancy/chirocare.html

~http://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/chiropracticcare.html

~http://www.planetc1.com/chiropractic-articles/pregnancy-chiropractic.html

~http://www.atlaschiropracticonline.com/ (Your local one stop shop for chiropractic care in Colorado Springs)

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Videos:

Fox News: Dr. Berlin shares about his practice & the results for the care he provides.

Another excellent video on why Chiropractic is great in pregnancy.

One final education video about the spine, & chiropractic in pregnancy.