Pregnancy Chiropractic Care
There is often many questions surrounding chiropractic care during pregnancy. Is it safe? What do the treatments look like? How often do I come treatment? Let’s explore some of these questions.
More than 50%of pregnant people will experience back pain in their pregnancy, and chiropractic care can help! Finding a chiropractor that has taken advanced training in treating patients while pregnant is something I always recommend if you are considering seeing a chiropractor while pregnant. If you are not sure of the training of a chiropractor, getting a recommendation from someone you trust is a great start or you can check out the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association’s directory for a list of the chiropractors in your area who have completed post graduate training in this area.
Chiropractors are trained healthcare providers in the neuro-musculoskeletal system. Meaning, their main area of focus is the muscles, nerves and joints of the human body. When looking at prenatal chiropractors, they often have extensive education in pregnancy-related care and focus on the muscle, nerve and joint health during pregnancy. Prenatal chiropractic care has three main categories, pain-related, wellness-focused and labour prep. All of these categories benefit from chiropractic care, and a pregnant person can move from one category to another throughout their pregnancy.
Pain-related Pregnancy Care
During pregnancy, the body goes through changes at every level; physical, mental, spiritual and physiological. The most visible change is the abdominal weight gain. This causes the pelvis to tilt and the low back to hyperextend, potentially leading to low back, pelvic girdle, and thigh pain. This pain can come from the muscles, joints and/or nerves of the low back and pelvis.
The abdominal weight gain also changes the person’s centre of gravity, causing the body to compensate. Most commonly this leads to tightened glute muscles, and later the “pregnancy waddle”. It is important to note that an ideal pregnant person, does not waddle. Waddling is a sign that the body is not adapting well to the pregnancy-related changes, and the glutes and hip flexors are overcompensating.
The body will continue to compensate to the ongoing changes as your pregnancy progresses. A pregnant person may also experience midback or neck pain, headaches, carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica and/or round ligament pain. Often these are secondary pains, strains, syndromes or ailments, due to poor biomechanics and your body trying to compensate for them.. The goal of chiropractic care is to find the root cause of the pain. Is it the pelvic tilt? How is the low back at rest? Is it too much or too little movement through the spine? When the root cause is identified, a proper diagnosis and care plan can be suggested.
The good news is chiropractic care can be a safe and effective way to reduce or eliminate pregnancy-related pain from head to toes. Pain-related pregnancy care can include, adjustments, mobilizations, soft tissue therapy, exercises and/or lifestyle modifications.
Wellness-focused Pregnancy Care
Pregnancy can be pain-free, relaxed and enjoyable! Yes, it can happen, I promise you that your pregnancy does not have to be painful.
Prenatal wellness care looks at how we can better support the changes happening during pregnancy. Although every pregnancy is unique and different, there are some general guidelines and understandings of what occurs throughout pregnancy. A good example of this is knowing that as baby grows, the pelvis will tilt and the low back will compensate by extending. In knowing this, we can better prepare the body before this change happens. This may involve at-home exercises, adjustments, mobilizations, postural considerations, soft tissue therapy. Wellness prenatal care aims to maintain mobility and function throughout the spine and pelvis to reduce the risk of pain and discomfort from starting.
Wellness-focused pregnancy care can start whenever the pregnant person is comfortable. If wellness-focused care is your goal, we like to recommend seeing a prenatal chiropractor as soon as possible, as every pregnancy is different and we can help prevent the development of poor biomechanics happening later on.
Labour Prep Chiropractic Care
Sometimes, patients seek chiropractic care to help them prep for labour, as recommended by their primary care provider and/or doula. These treatments typically start later in pregnancy (around 36 weeks). The goal of labour prep is to ensure the joints of the pelvis are able to move within their proper range of motion to help ensure the pelvis can move freely as baby descends and passes through the pelvic openings. It also addresses any tension on the muscles and ligaments surrounding and attaching to the pelvis and uterus that can restrict movement and muscle contractions/relaxations. Labour prep can help your body prepare for an easier labour, a positive birth experience and a smoother postpartum recovery.
How Often Do I Need Treatment?
Treatment recommendations during pregnancy are always based on individual needs, but a good rule of thumb - you will see your prenatal chiropractor at the same frequency you are seeing your Midwife/OBGyn/Family Physician for prenatal checkups. Typically, a well-focused treatment plan would look like:
1st TRIMESTER - 1 Visit/Month
2nd TRIMESTER - 2 Visits/Month
3rd TRIMESTER - 2-3 Visits/Month
36weeks till delivery - 1x/WEEK
Care can be more frequent if we are treating to decrease pain or working on pelvis positioning.