Why you should see a chiropractor during your pregnancy

Clinical studies on chiropractic care during pregnancy have shown that 75% of pregnant patients who received chiropractic treatment described a decrease and/or relief of pain.

“You should see someone for that.”

A common phrase we hear in our adult lives that we can easily discount for various reasons, “I’m too busy,” is one of the most common. In pregnancy, you don’t get the luxury of putting off appointments because you are “too busy,” and any additional taxes on your time can feel like a huge burden. So, I can only imagine how difficult it must be to hear those words when you are pregnant and experiencing discomfort.

But here’s the deal, the discomfort you are experiencing as your pregnancy progress doesn’t have to be ignored or toughed out. Being in discomfort typically means your body is trying to tell you something. And although, yes, you are drastically changing on a daily basis, it does not mean, because you are pregnant, you must suffer.

Enter pregnancy and chiropractic.

Pregnancy and low back pain

Low back pain is often described as one of the most common pregnancy complications. It has been reported that 50% of all pregnant women experience back pain. Yet, only 21% of pregnant women seek consultation with their medical providers.

Clinical studies on chiropractic care during pregnancy have shown that 75% of pregnant patients who received chiropractic treatment described a decrease and/or relief of pain.

Just think, that means a vast majority of those pregnant moms are still suffering from back pain because they either didn’t know there were alternative and safe ways of treating their pain, or they didn’t know where to turn for help. I have seen this more often than not; a patient comes in and asks for a pregnant friend if chiropractic care can help. To which my response is, absolutely!

Your body changes during pregnancy

From the beginning of pregnancy, the body begins to change in ways most are unaware of. Yes, you are growing a human, but you are also changing physically so you can stretch and adapt to this baby growing.

This is the body’s way of naturally preparing for the baby to be nurtured and delivered. With this preparation comes a significant change in the way you exist structurally.

Your back and pelvis will become less rigid, meaning joints are looser and shifting with greater ease. As the baby grows, you naturally start to tilt your pelvis forward, and your back begins to curve more, causing increased stress on the low back and hips.

Your mid-back becomes tighter and rounds forward to help maintain the increase of weight pulling from the front of your body. Your hips begin to widen, and your feet turn out while your piriformis gets tighter, all to make room for the belly you are growing with the little one (or more) inside.

As I list these changes, you can begin to imagine the tension, pulling, and contorting your muscles, joints, ligaments, and bones are having to do to allow this new life to form. The human body is truly amazing at creating life.

But all of this change can take a toll on you and cause increased discomfort. When seeing a chiropractor during pregnancy, these changes can be addressed. From light muscle and soft tissue work to light-adjusting to help keep those joints mobile and free of restriction. Exercises are often taught, so you have at-home ways of keeping tissues less tense and increasing strength where necessary. All of this and more is what you will learn and be exposed to within the chiropractor’s office.

Our goal is to support you during your pregnancy

Our goal as practitioners is to support you, the pregnant mother, while you support and grow this new baby. Studies have shown that women who undergo chiropractic treatment during pregnancy to help with back pain may decrease the incidence of “back labor,” which has an almost three times greater likelihood if low back pain was experienced during pregnancy.

In an article published by the Journal of chiropractic medicine, Borggren, C.L. writes, “It has also been reported there may be a relationship between back pain throughout pregnancy and a longer duration of the labor and delivery process.” They go on to note that one study reported, on average, a 25% shorter labor time for primigravida (first pregnancy) women, whereas multiparous (multiple pregnancies) women experienced, on average, 31% shorter labor times.

Not to mention decreased discomfort and increased strength and ability to push during delivery.

None of this is written to scare or alarm but instead give you the power to advocate for yourself. There are plenty of practitioners in your corner with the sole goal of keeping you healthy and mobile so you can move through this journey with comfort and confidence. And ultimately, a continued sense of self, knowing that you, as the mom, are just as important to care for as that sweet little one growing inside.

Citations: Borggren C. L. (2007). Pregnancy and chiropractic: a narrative review of the literature. Journal of chiropractic medicine, 6(2), 70–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcme.2007.04.004