GeneralAre Chiropractic Services Safe While Pregnant?

Every pregnant woman wants to keep herself and her baby healthy throughout the course of pregnancy. However, changes in their body and experiencing fatigue, aches, and pains in muscles and joints, are inevitable no matter how careful and healthy they are.

Some medical practitioners recommend chiropractic care to address the discomforts brought by pregnancy. However, is it safe for soon-to-be mothers? How does chiropractic care help relieve pregnancy pain? This article will shed light on chiropractic therapy during pregnancy.

What Is Chiropractic?

Chiropractic is a therapy approach that focuses on the relationship between the spine and the nervous system. Many chiropractors use manual therapies, such as spinal manipulation or joint mobilization, that may help alleviate pain, restore mobility, and improve well-being.

Moreover, a safety precaution that chiropractors follow is notify their patients if certain conditions may be contraindicated for specific adjustments. For instance, chiropractors will conduct a screening examination before providing any chiropractic services.

Is Chiropractic Care Safe During Pregnancy?

Chiropractic care is generally perceived as a safe alternative for pregnant women dealing with pains and aches. However, these services may not always be suitable for high-risk pregnancies, such as women who are susceptible to vaginal bleeding or those who have a history of complicated pregnancies, as chiropractic isn’t a substitute for medical attention.

So, it’s best to seek the guidance of your doctor before commencing chiropractic care. This is necessary to ensure you’ll receive adequate and appropriate service.

What Are The Different Types Of Chiropractic Therapy For Pregnant Women?

A chiropractor may use a hands-on approach to address your musculoskeletal pain and discomfort. Some use a combination of different chiropractic therapies to achieve better results. The following are the most common types of chiropractic services used during pregnancy:

• Spinal and pelvic adjustments

Spinal and pelvic adjustments are a treatment that could alleviate pain in the lower back, hip, and leg area.

• Mobilization therapy

This chiropractic technique may ease neck pain, back pain, and headaches during pregnancy. It involves the use of gentle and precise forces to improve joint movement.

• Therapeutic exercises

Pregnant women can do therapeutic exercises with the guidance of a chiropractor. Some examples are pelvic tilts, stretching, abdominal strengthening, and breathing techniques.

In addition to the types of chiropractic mentioned, women can also ask their chiropractors for lifestyle and ergonomic advice. This may include ways on how to reduce stress and enhance body awareness during pregnancy.

Also, with a combination of chiropractic services, a chiropractor may recommend nutritional counseling and give dietary guidelines that help boost the overall health of an expectant mother.

What Are The Benefits?

Chiropractic services for expectant mothers may offer the following benefits:

• Relieve back, neck pain, and muscle tension

Back and neck pain or other forms of musculoskeletal discomforts are common among pregnant women. Fortunately, chiropractic could relieve these pains since it helps increase blood circulation and release tension in muscles.

• Improve the quality of sleep

Pregnancy can interfere with sleep due to the aches and pains a pregnant woman may experience, disrupting her regular sleeping pattern. Chiropractic may improve sleep-wake routine, thus resulting in a better-quality sleep since she’ll most likely feel more refreshed and relaxed after the session.

• Reduce pelvic girdle pain

Pelvic girdle pain is a common type of musculoskeletal discomfort during pregnancy. Chiropractic could help reduce the severity of the pain by administering manual therapies, such as spinal manipulation.

• Promote faster and easier delivery

Pregnant women incorporating regular chiropractic care into their regimen may have a shorter and easy labor process. Prenatal chiropractic may also improve the baby’s positioning, making it easier to deliver them.

• Controlling nausea and vomiting symptoms

Most pregnant women experience nausea and vomiting, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy. By recovering nervous system function and realigning the spine, chiropractic may help minimize nausea and vomiting for pregnant women. Reducing nausea with chiropractic service may assist the expectant parent with hydration, nourishment, and energy levels throughout the pregnancy.

• Improve overall health

A woman’s body undergoes a lot of changes during pregnancy. Such changes may affect their lifestyle by decreasing productivity and having eating problems, as well as mood swings. Chiropractic may restore a healthy and balanced lifestyle by improving the nervous system and musculoskeletal functions.

According to research, chiropractic care could also improve mental and neurological health by reducing anxiety and depression symptoms.

Conclusion

Chiropractic services are believed to be generally safe for pregnant women in alleviating pain and maintaining a healthy and fit body during the nine months of carrying a baby inside them. Typically, these services involve correcting spinal alignment and other parts of the body through a hands-on approach.

If you’re pregnant and you want to experience these services, look for a reputable, knowledgeable, and highly recommended chiropractor. Ask about their experience, track record, and success rates in dealing with other pregnant women. These health professionals should be specifically certified and trained in performing chiropractic services without causing any harmful effects or other complications.