Are you recently pregnant or having a baby soon? If you answered yes to either question, hopefully you are also seeing a chiropractor.
A woman’s body goes through countless changes while pregnant, not only hormonally, but also posturally and bio-mechanically.
Low back pain is almost imminent during pregnancy; chiropractic care offers a non-invasive, safe form of care to help alleviate pain and make having a baby easier.
When pregnant, your body goes through changes to prepare to carry and nourish your baby. Your centre of gravity shifts forward as the baby grows. The pelvis tilts forward, causing the muscles in the lower back to become short and tight, while the hamstrings and gluteal muscles become stretched and weak.
The curves in the cervical and lumbar regions are increased, placing extra stress in the lower back and neck.
There are many changes in the muscles and ligaments of your body during pregnancy.
The “round ligaments” that attach to the uterus are stretched and placed under a lot of stress while pregnant, and can be the cause of significant amounts of pain, both in the abdomen and lower back.
The psoas, tensor fascia lata, quadratus lumborum, and piriformis muscles of the low back, hip, and pelvis areas are also placed under new loads when pregnant.
This causes muscle pain, tightness, and postural imbalances.
Hormonal changes throughout pregnancy cause ligaments to become looser, and therefore the joints become less stable, especially the sacroiliac joints and pubic symphysis of the pelvis.
The extra weight gain and changes in posture put significant stress on the joints of the low back and pelvis.
Chiropractors use gentle soft tissue techniques to help relax the tight ligaments and muscles.
They also use gentle manipulation to restore and maintain the motion of the joints in the pelvis and low back.
Chiropractic manipulation and soft tissue techniques are safe for mom and baby throughout the duration of pregnancy without the use of invasive procedures or prescription drugs.
Pain can cause a great deal of anxiety and stress, neither of which is good for mom or baby. Seeing your chiropractor regularly while pregnant can help ease or eliminate pain and make the process of having a baby much easier.
If you are pregnant and have any questions about how chiropractic care can help you, please contact your local chiropractor.
