How Chiropractic Care Can Promote a Healthy Pregnancy by EIH

If you are an expectant mother experiencing back pain, you may wonder if it’s safe to visit a chiropractor during pregnancy. Chiropractic care is not only safe for most pregnancies, but it also relieves numerous prenatal and postnatal symptoms and makes labor and delivery easier. For these reasons, many midwives and obstetricians recommend chiropractic care to their patients.

What Causes Back Pain & Spinal Misalignment During Pregnancy?

Your body undergoes many changes to accommodate a growing baby. Here are some of the factors that can cause spinal discomfort while you’re pregnant:

You’re carrying an additional 25 to 30 pounds.
Your abdominal muscles have weakened.
The curve in your lower spine is accentuated.
Your body releases more of the hormone relaxin, which relaxes joints and ligaments. If they become too loose, your joints and ligaments may become structurally unstable and cause pain.

How Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy Can Help

Safe, noninvasive chiropractic care is the ideal way to support your body’s natural functions during pregnancy. Here’s how prenatal chiropractic adjustments can benefit you:

Alleviate back pain: About 75 percent of pregnant women report back pain relief after just two chiropractic treatments. This should come as no surprise, considering that chiropractic care helps to realign the spine, reduce muscle tension, and improve the stability of joints and ligaments.
Restore proper pelvic balance: The Webster Technique is a chiropractic method designed specifically for expectant mothers. It works by relieving stress on the pelvis to restore normal function throughout pregnancy, during labor, and after delivery.
Ease pregnancy nausea: Issues with the spinal cord and nervous system may contribute to pregnancy nausea. Chiropractors address these systems, which can improve functionality and relieve morning sickness.
Help reposition the fetus: Babies lying sideways, breech, or with their back along the mother’s spine can increase the potential for a cesarean section. Pelvic realignment achieved with chiropractic care gives the baby more room to get into the optimal position for delivery.
Shorten labor time: Women who receive prenatal chiropractic care tend to experience significantly shorter labor times. Chiropractors believe this is because improved pelvic alignment reduces intrauterine constraint and allows the baby to pass through the labor canal more easily.
Reduce postpartum pain: Many women continue visiting a chiropractor after having a baby. After all, breastfeeding can also cause backaches and neck pain because of the prolonged sitting posture associated with nursing. Chiropractic care reduces your pain and helps you feel your best, so you can focus your attention on being a new mom.

At Effective Integrative Healthcare, our chiropractor uses several advanced methodologies to improve your health and wellness during pregnancy, including the Webster Technique. We also combine chiropractic adjustments with other noninvasive treatments that may benefit your pregnancy, including massage therapy, dry needling, hydrobed therapy, and much more. To schedule a free consultation, please call us at 410-729-2200 or contact us online today. We have locations in Crofton, Millersville, and Lanham, MD.