People are often surprised that many chiropractors can treat lower back pain for pregnant women. Chiropractic care is considered by some to be an alternate form of medicine that can be used alone or together with traditional medical care treatments. Women’s bodies must undergo multiple and complex changes to prepare the body for the impending birth.
Read on for some intriguing and commonsense practical reasons to consider chiropractic treatments to lessen lower back pain when pregnant.
As Pregnancy Progresses, More Pressure Is Placed on the Back & Spine
In the early stages of pregnancy, most women do not have any external clues that she is pregnant. As the pregnancy progresses, most women will begin to expand their abdominal and midsection area of the body. Some women carry their developing baby more forward often resembling a beach ball when labor is near. Others carry their babies more towards their back, and this can cause lower back pain that can be excruciating for some mothers-to-be.
Reasons Why Chiropractic Treatments for Lower Back Pain Are Advisable for Pregnant Women
When a woman is pregnant, she is advised to abstain from most medications even some over-the-counter drugs and supplements. This is because many medications and alcohol can cross over the placenta to negatively impact the growing baby. This can cause severe birth defects and other issues for the baby.
As the pregnancy becomes closer to a woman’s due date, her body is still rapidly changing to ensure adequate room for the baby to fit through the narrow birth canal during the birth process. This can be painful, and yet it is dangerous for the woman to take pain-relieving drugs. A truly beneficial and smarter option is to opt for chiropractic care instead.
How Prenatal Chiropractic Care Can Benefit Both the Mom & Baby
As the baby grows to term size inside the womb, this puts a lot of pressure on the woman’s midsection and lower back. Chiropractic care can gently stretch these larger muscle groups and may aid in lessening body tension that often builds up during this pregnancy stage.
Chiropractors usually provide holistic medicine which means that they practice a whole-body approach to care rather than only treating current adverse symptoms. This form of medicine has been around for centuries in some fashion. Today, more mainstream doctors even will refer their pregnant patients to undergo these safe and gentle treatments.
Chiropractic Care Can Help Prevent Future Back-Related Issues in Pregnancy
Whenever a large area of the body is weakened, this can be a risky situation as serious injuries may occur. When a pregnant woman strains her lower back or does damage to the underlying soft structures, like nerves, tendons, and ligaments, she will be at a much greater risk for causing chronic or permanent damage should she continue to strain those already stressed body parts.
A chiropractor will do a thorough initial exam, and then the expert will come up with a safe and effective strategy moving forward. Some women may already have lower back pain problems, and a chiropractor can take those things into consideration to help prevent further injury to the back.
What Chiropractic Treatment for Low Back Pain Can Do for Pregnant Women
Along with stretching out and relieving body tension and underlying stress, chiropractic treatment during pregnancy can help to make the childbirth process easier on the mom and baby too.
Dr. Jeffrey Robinson DC is a Holistic Doctor and Chiropractor with extensive experience as a prenatal chiropractor in Scottsdale, AZ. Utilizing Applied Kinesiology with Integrative nutritional medicine and a good clinical history has helped him to provide a wide scope of care and diagnosis to numerous health conditions. Contact Dr. Robinson at AZ Multicare to begin your prenatal chiropractic experience.