Chiropractic care is a safe, effective practice during pregnancy. Not only can routine chiropractic care help manage pain in your neck, back, hips, and extremity joints; it can also help establish and maintain pelvic balance. Remember, your chiropractor can continue to help you after the birth of your baby, providing post-natal care while your body returns to its pre-pregnancy state and for baby.
Chiropractic Treatment During Pregnancy: Benefits
Receiving chiropractic care during pregnancy is vital to maintaining and improving normal physiological function of both the mother and her baby.
Regular chiropractic care while you’re pregnant can offer the following benefits:
- help you maintain a healthier, more comfortable pregnancy
- relieving pain in the back, neck, hips, and extremity joints
- Controlling urinary incontinence
- Reducing pregnancy-related nausea
- Aligning the pelvis for easier delivery
- Alleviating sciatic nerve pain
- Eliminating the need for pain medications
- Reducing labor and delivery time
Pregnancy Chiropractic Techniques
As with regular treatment, the chiropractor’s job is to manipulate the pregnant patient’s spine, joints, and muscles into alignment using techniques and equipment designed to accommodate the woman's growing belly. Applying gentle pressure, techniques focus more on the pelvic region and the reduction of stress on the uterus and ligaments.
At Lakeside Chiropractic, Chiropractic Pregnancy's Pillow is utilized which provides the ultimate comfort and support for both mom and baby.
Conditions Treated During Pregnancy's: Beneficial for Baby
An important factor during pregnancy is maintaining pelvic balance. That can provide your baby with as much space as possible over the course of your pregnancy. This can reduce the potential for conditions that can result.
Dystonia
Dystonia is caused by inadequate uterine function, pelvis contraction, and baby mal-presentation. The correction of pelvis misalignments may have a positive effect on all of these causes of dystonia.
Intrauterine Constraint During Pregnancy
One common condition chiropractors treat during pregnancy is intrauterine constraint, whereby the baby's movement is restricted due to pelvic misalignment. Thus it makes it hard for the baby to move into the best position to be born in. If this is left untreated the condition can lead to birthing complications, the need for a C-section, and birth defects.
Sciatica
Sciatica is common during pregnancy due to the pressure exerted on the sciatic nerve by the ever growing baby. The sharp, burning pain from the low back, buttock and hip; possibly extending all the way to the foot can make everyday movement extremely uncomfortable for the mom-to-be. Chiropractic treatment is one of the best ways to relieve sciatic pain. A individual course of action will include a series of adjustments, hot and cold therapies, and stretches to reduce the pain.
Chiropractic Care for Baby
When it comes to infant care and treatment, chiropractors can successfully treat issues like trouble in latching or breastfeeding, treating an underdeveloped digestive system, ear pain/ infection, acid reflux, and a misaligned spine. Keeping the entire nervous system working properly ensures your baby is able to eat and sleep and grow without colic, sleep issues, and constipation during their peak early development.
During treatment, the practitioner will work with mom to find the most comforting position to treat baby including the use of the Chiropractic Pregnancy Pillow. The chiropractor will use light pressure to make gentle adjustments, appearing as a gentle massage. The pressure used by the practitioner is similar to the pressure one uses to test the ripeness of fruit and is perfectly safe.
Some of the numerous benefits of chiropractic care for infants:
- adjusting misaligned vertebrae
- post-birth recovery
- ease colic symptoms
- assisting in treating and preventing ear infections
- boost immune system
- decrease risk of injury in toddlers
- aid in proper physical development