Pregnancy is a magical thing that a lot of women undergo to start a family. Despite the magic that’s associated with it, however, a huge percentage of it involves a lot of pain and discomfort, and there can be times where it gets too unbearable. The excitement of childbirth shouldn’t be overshadowed by discomfort, however, and there are ways you can alleviate some of these pains, and you can do so holistically. One of those ways is by visiting chiropractors in San Diego county.
Now before we get into how chiropractic helps alleviate pregnancy pains, let’s answer one of the most asked questions about chiropractic care during pregnancy: Is it safe? The answer is yes, so long as the pregnancy in question isn’t suffering from any abnormal status, such as ectopic pregnancy, placenta previa, vaginal bleeding and toxemia. So just to be safe, make sure you ask your doctor about it, and make sure you go to a qualified chiropractor. The Chiropractic in Burlington offer such qualifications if you’re in the area and could provide you with the information you need to get you started.
What Causes Pregnancy Pains?
To better understand how chiropractic helps with pregnancy pains, we should first understand what we mean by it, or at least, which are the ones chiropractic care is able to target. On average, a pregnant woman will gain an extra 20 – 40 lbs. during pregnancy. This sudden weight gain is capable of shifting a woman’s center of gravity, putting a lot of pressure on their lower backs. A lot of women also tend to change their posture to compensate for this, which could cause muscle pains everywhere else on their backs as well as on their pelvis. Joint pains also happen for some women who have significant weight gain after this.
How Does Chiropractic Care Help?
One of the primary benefits of chiropractic care is that it relieves chronic pain without the use of invasive treatment or drugs, both of which a pregnant mother can benefit from immensely. It also focuses primarily on adjusting the position of the spine, which is the primary source of where the pains are from in the first place. Here’s a summary of just how chiropractic care helps:
1. Helps Keep the Spine Aligned
Chiropractic procedures offer a safe, effective way to adjust your spine, to help combat spine misalignment caused by pregnancy. These treatments also provide relief to your pelvis, which is in the process of changing in order to accommodate your body as it readies itself for labor. On top of that, the realignment of the spine and pelvis helps with reestablishing your body’s sense of balance, making it easier to walk around despite the dramatic change in your center of gravity.
2. Provides Relief from Pain and Discomfort
About 90% of women who undergo chiropractic care during their pregnancies felt a significant improvement from back pain. A good portion of pregnant women also felt relief from other pregnancy-related discomforts such as nausea, and hip and joint pain. A more comfortable pregnancy is also linked to lower incidences of post-partum depression amongst women.
3. Easier Labor and Delivery
Because of chiropractic care’s ability to reduce the pain in the pelvis and lower back muscles, it’s been linked to improved labor and ease of delivery. Dealing with less pain during labor has also seen a dramatic reduction in pain medication usage amongst women, to as much as 50%.
4. Customized Exercises
Whenever a pregnant woman visits a chiropractor, they also benefit from instructions given by the professional post-procedure. They are taught exercises that are tailored to their individual needs, allowing them to keep in shape during pregnancy, or at the very least, improve their condition. Undergoing regular exercise during pregnancy can potentially lessen pregnancy weight gain, help shorten labors, lessen the likelihood of fetal distress, improve recovery times and lessen the amount of medical interventions needed.
5. Improved Post-Partum Status
Chiropractic during pregnancy benefits the mother long after the baby is born. Because pregnancy puts a huge strain on the body, it can be difficult for the mother to recover and return to normal life. If the mother had undergone adjustment during pregnancy, however, it’s possible to mitigate a lot of the adverse effects pregnancy has forced to body to undergo. This means it’s easier and quicker for the body to return to normal biomechanical function. It also helps improve the posture for breastfeeding.
6. Chiropractic Treatment Requires No Drugs
One of the biggest issues with pregnancy is the use of medications and drugs. The mother needs to be extra careful with what she puts in her body, as this can have an adverse effect on the baby. With chiropractic adjustments, however, pain relief doesn’t involve the use of drugs and is an entirely holistic form of treatment. This also lowers the risk of drug dependency, while the mother is pregnant.
7. Lower the Risk of C-Section
A misaligned pelvis generally lead to a difficult delivery for a lot of mothers. This prevents the baby from getting into the right position during labor. This issue with the pelvis can increase the chances of a nonoptimal birthing position occurring, such as breech and posterior positions, which will then lead to the use of interventions like caesarian sections. Chiropractic care aligns the pelvis naturally, improving the mother’s chances of giving a natural, noninvasive birth.
8. Improves Sleeping Habits
A lot of mothers have difficulty falling asleep during pregnancy, due to the sudden changes in their body. Then they lay on their back, extra pressure is added to their spines, which leads to discomfort during sleep. Realigning the spine helps improve its ability to withstand the sudden change in pressure, which will then lead to the mother sleeping better.
If you’ve been experiencing muscle pains during pregnancy, especially in your lower back, hips or joints, then it’s probably time to consider going to the chiropractor. It’s still important to talk to your doctor to get the green light though, as you have to be doubly sure that you’re safe to undergo the procedure. If you do get chiropractic care, it has the potential to make not only your pregnancy easier, but the delivery as well.