Are lower back or leg pain and sciatica causing problems with your pregnancy? If this were the case, chiropractic is a great natural, non-drug approach to help you with your pain. Many people often wonder if chiropractic care can help a mother and her baby achieve a healthier pregnancy and delivery. Chiropractic is not only gentle and safe, but it is becoming an increasingly popular option for many mothers who are foregoing prescription and over-the-counter medications during pregnancy. In fact, many clinical studies have shown that chiropractic is the choice for pregnant mothers experiencing pain.
One particular study conducted by a member of the American Medical Association, Dr. Irvin Hendryson, showed that women who were in their third trimester of pregnancy and who received chiropractic adjustments were able to carry and deliver more comfortably. A fellow orthopedist named Per Freitag, MD, demonstrated in a hospital study that he used chiropractic adjustments on pregnant patients and found that mothers’ need for pain relievers during labor was cut in half.
Along the spine are 24 vertebrae (bones in the spine), with a sacrum and coccyx directly below them, and they work together and surround the central nervous system. The brain produces neurological signals that travel down the spinal cord through nerves to all the limbs, organs, and muscles of a person’s body. These signals direct all of the body’s functions and contribute to growth, cell and tissue repair, and the body’s natural healing mechanism. When your spine is subluxed or misaligned, the nerves become tight and these signal pathways are disrupted, causing the body to function inefficiently. Such postural imbalances can occur with pregnancy, such as a high hip, rotated pelvis, curvature of the spine, swaying of the back, sloping shoulders, or any of many variations in structure, which can contribute to a more difficult pregnancy. According to the American Journal of Pain Management, the authors state: “Posture affects and moderates all physiological functions, from respiration to hormone production. Spinal pain, headaches, mood, blood pressure, heart rate and lung capacity are among the functions most easily influenced by posture”.
Chiropractors target the cause of many symptoms and specialize in detecting and correcting these spinal subluxations to improve bodily function. Like orthodontics, this process can take from several weeks to months, depending on the structure of the spine and the severity of the patient’s misalignment. As the subluxations diminish and the central nervous system can function better, healing takes place more efficiently.
During pregnancy; Women go through a series of physiological and hormonal changes to create the most optimal environment for their developing baby. All systems of the body of the pregnant woman. As a pregnant woman’s child changes during the baby’s development, her center of gravity shifts, altering her posture and putting more pressure on her lower back and pelvis, which can cause pain. A study by MJ Mantle showed that fifty percent of all pregnant women complained of lower back pain.
When random people in our community were surveyed, Sherry Grieco of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania said, “Chiropractic has helped me and my family tremendously. During my last trimester of pregnancy, chiropractic care made me feel more comfortable. It helped me with my hip and sciatic pain.” Traci LaGanke of Wilmington, Delaware has also had a lot of pain relief during her two pregnancies. “I suggest anyone with lower back pain see a chiropractor. Carrying 30-40 pounds of excess weight and dragging car seats have only increased my pain, and chiropractic care has kept me healthy.” pain throughout my pregnancy. Helene Neidig of Hockessin, Delaware is eight months pregnant and works in an office. “Regular chiropractic adjustments make me feel looser and free me from acute back pain. I used to have chronic back pain before pregnancy, which was aggravated at my desk working ten hour days. I recommend seeing a chiropractor before, during, and after pregnancy. I thought my chronic back pain would come back and it hasn’t!”
The best time to seek chiropractic adjustments is throughout the pregnancy and immediately after the conclusion of labor and delivery, a great option if a mother wants to help eliminate back and leg pain.