Chiropractic While Pregnant: Benefits And Side Effects
Pain in the lower back and hips isn’t unheard of during pregnancy. Indeed, this is all considered to be a part of the experience. Most pregnant women experience severe backaches at varying stages of their delivery. And the challenging part is that they can’t really rely on medications to alleviate the pain due to fear of harming their baby. So what’s the solution? Do they have to bear this pain and learn to live with it until the baby is born? Definitely not!
Fortunately, backaches and similar issues during pregnancy can be dealt with quite effectively with a chiropractor’s help. Yes, you can avail the services of a chiropractor to ensure that your pregnancy is smooth and you don’t have to endure any unnecessary pain.
Is It Safe To Acquire Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy?
Naturally, you wouldn’t want to do anything that jeopardizes your pregnancy. So the first concern of every mother would be whether the chiropractic care would indeed be safe.
First things first, what exactly is chiropractic care? It refers to the health maintenance of the spinal cord. Misaligned joints are adjusted during this treatment. The treatment method doesn’t rely on drugs or surgical intervention to relieve you of your symptoms. Instead, it’s more of a physical therapy wherein the stress on the spinal nerves is reduced, thereby promoting the whole body’s wellbeing.
People throughout the world opt for chiropractic adjustments to alleviate pain and correct postural issues. And fortunately, complications are extremely rare. Chiropractic care during pregnancy is no exception. However, it is best to avoid the treatment course in certain circumstances. Of course, it is always best to seek your doctor’s approval before we see a chiropractor during pregnancy. But usually, it isn’t recommended in the following situations.
- If you have vaginal bleeding
- If the pregnancy is complicated during the placenta abruption
- Ectopic pregnancy
- In case of toxemia
Chiropractor care during pregnancy is a part of the training of all chiropractors. However, some specialize in prenatal care. Needless to say, they are the ones most reliable to consult during pregnancy.
Typically, adjusting tables are used to ensure that the growing bellies of the soon-to-be moms are well accommodated during the sessions. The techniques employed are such that no excessive pressure is put on the abdomen. Additionally, chiropractors also recommend stretches that you can do yourself to relieve tension and ease discomfort.
Benefits Of Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy
Your body experiences a lot of physical and hormonal changes during pregnancy. Naturally, these changes also impact your comfort and, more importantly, your posture. As your pregnancy goes through various stages, the baby becomes heavier. This leads to a shift in gravity, resulting in postural adjustments. Owing to this, there is a significant risk of the spine and joints becoming misaligned during pregnancy.
Similarly, there are other issues that you will have to deal with too. These include
- Increased curvature of the back due to the protruding abdomen
- Preparations of the body for upcoming labor with changes in the pelvis
- Postural changes
With regular chiropractic care, these issues can be dealt with easily. A study revealed that nearly 75% of pregnant women who acquired chiropractic care got immense pain relief. Furthermore, the balance and alignment of the spine and pelvis are also re-established with chiropractic care which further alleviates your pain and discomfort. To top it, chiropractic care is also beneficial for the baby. The core benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy include
- A healthier pregnancy
- Reduced symptoms of nausea
- Alleviate pain in back, neck and joint
- Decrease in the time of labor and delivery
- Reduced risk of potential C-section
So what’s in it for your baby? A misaligned pelvis offers restricted space to the developing baby. As the external force impedes the baby’s normal movements, intrauterine constraint develops, which can result in congenital disabilities.
Furthermore, a misaligned pelvis can also make your delivery complicated. The baby is unable to move into the ideal position of being born when the pelvis is out of alignment. So, the woman is unable to have a natural birth.
If you have a balanced pelvis, there is a lower chance of the baby moving into a posterior position. However, other birthing positions can complicate your delivery and prolong labor. Indeed, chiropractic care can be invaluable in reducing the length of time in labor.
The Link Between Chiropractic Care And Breech Deliveries
Techniques have been developed to ensure that the balance between the woman’s pelvis is not disturbed during pregnancy in chiropractic care. This significantly reduces the stress on the uterus and supporting ligaments. The balanced pelvis makes it easier for the fetus to get into the optimal position for delivery. The technique is commonly known as the Webster technique after the one who developed it.
Typically, the positioning of the baby isn’t given much importance until the third trimester. Most doctors don’t really consider breech presentation a matter of concern until the pregnancy is 37 pregnancies long. Interestingly, nearly 4% of all pregnancies end up in breech presentations. However, studies have revealed that the success rate of using the Webster technique to turn a baby’s vertex is nearly 82%. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?
It has been seen via studies that the Webster technique shows the most promising results when it’s done as soon as the pregnancy enters its eighth month in breech presentation.
As per the current recommendations of ICPA, women should receive chiropractic care throughout the pregnancy to ensure that the pelvis balance isn’t disturbed. This will make sure that the baby has optimal space to develop during pregnancy. If the pelvis is balanced, the baby will also have adequate space to move into the optimal birthing position. We don’t need to elaborate on how this can limit complications and benefit and the baby. Optimal birthing position reduces the risk of dystocia and is safer for both mother and baby.
What Are The Side Effects Of Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy?
Fortunately, there are minimal side effects to this for pregnant ladies and understandably so. There are no drugs involved, and you won’t be going through any invasive measures. So you don’t have to worry about complicating your pregnancy or harming your baby while acquiring chiropractic care during pregnancy.
However, there’s one thing that you will have to ensure. Only consult a reliable and licensed chiropractor for the adjustments. Here are some of the things you should give attention to while selecting a chiropractor.
- His credentials: he should be qualified and experienced and have additional training in prenatal care.
- Equipment: pregnant ladies can’t adjust on the regular chiropractic table, so your chiropractor should be equipped with a special table having an adaptability feature. This will ensure that your bump is accommodated during the session and you don’t experience any discomfort.
- The go-ahead from your doctor: chiropractic care isn’t the best idea in some conditions. It is vital that your obstetrician permits you to get chiropractic care to minimize any risk of complications.
Conclusion
Chiropractic care can be invaluable in making your pregnancy easier and pain-free. You can ensure that you don’t experience any excessive discomfort and your baby gets full room to thrive too. There’s no reason not to make the most of this opportunity unless you have some contraindications.