How pregnancy affects the body
Chiropractic care can help the spine and pelvis cope with the effects of pregnancy by restoring a state of balance.
During pregnancy, a woman’s center of gravity shifts forward to the front of her pelvis. This additional weight in front, causes stress to the joints of the pelvis and low back. As the baby grows in size, the added weight causes the curvature of her lower back to increase, placing extra stress on the fragile facet joints on the back side of the spine.
What to expect
Any pre-existing problems in a woman’s spine tend to be exacerbated as the spine and pelvis become overtaxed, often leading to pain and difficulty performing normal daily activities.
Studies have found that about half of all expectant mothers develop low-back pain at some point during their pregnancies. This is especially true during the third trimester when the baby’s body gains the most weight. Chiropractic care throughout pregnancy can relieve and even prevent the pain and discomfort frequently experienced in pregnancy, and creates an environment for an easier, safer delivery. It is one safe and effective way to help the spine and pelvis cope with the rapid increase in physical stress by restoring a state of balance. In fact, most women have found that chiropractic care helped them avoid the use of pain medications during their pregnancy, and studies have shown that chiropractic adjustments help to reduce time in labor. Your chiropractor should be your partner for a healthy pregnancy. They can provide adjustments, as well as offer nutritional, ergonomic and exercise advice to help address your special needs.
Chiropractic Tips for Pregnant Women
Chiropractic care is like building a house – certain things have to happen in a particular order in order for everything to stand strong and work correctly. When building a house, if you tried to put up your walls before you had a solid foundation, your walls would be weak and eventually collapse. If you tried to put on your roof before the walls were ready, you would run into the same problem. The same is true for your body. Your body has to go through a particular plan of care in order to repair itself correctly and fully.
- Be sure to get adjusted regularly. Chiropractic care is important to help maintain a healthy skeletal structure and nervous system function throughout a pregnancy and childbirth.
- Do some gentle exercise each day. Walking, swimming, or stationary cycling are relatively safe cardiovascular exercises for pregnant women. Avoid any activities that involve jerking or bouncing movements. Stop exercise immediately if you notice any unusual symptom, such as nausea, dizziness or weakness.
- Wear flat shoes with arch supports. Your feet become more susceptible to injury during pregnancy, partially due to a rapidly increasing body weight, but also because the ligaments that support the feet become more lax.
- When picking up children, bend from the knees, not the waist. Your low back is much more prone to injury during pregnancy.
- When sleeping, lay on your side with a pillow between your knees to take pressure off your lower back. Full-length “body pillows” or “pregnancy wedges” are very popular and can be helpful.
- Eat several small meals or snacks every few hours, rather than three large meals per day. This will help alleviate nausea, stabilize blood sugar and allow your body to extract the maximum amount of nutrients from the foods that you eat.
Take a prenatal vitamin with at least 400 micrograms of folic acid every day; 800 micrograms is even better. Folic acid has been shown to dramatically reduce the risk of neural tube defects in a developing fetus. Be sure to check with your doctor before taking any vitamin or herbal supplement to make sure it’s safe for you and the baby.
Studies show that consistency is all important
When you make routine chiropractic care a part of your lifestyle, you avoid many of the aches and pains that so many people suffer through, your joints will last longer, and you will be able to engage in more of the activities you love.
TESTIMONIAL
“Dr. Matt has completely rid me of migraines and helped me with some pain I was having due to a varicose vein in my leg. He takes the time to explain everything in terms I can understand and never rushes through an appointment. He truly cares about his patients and it is apparent. So thankful I found him!”
Dr. Matt and Amanda are very friendly and knowledgeable professionals. They’re helping my wife with some knee and heel pain. She loves the pain relief she gets after her visits!
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OUR VALUES
At Midlands Family Chiropractic our mission is to remove any unnecessary stress or tension and make you feel comfortable during your visit with our chiropractor.
Many seemingly unrelated symptoms often arise from imbalances in the spinal column, and Dr. Boyeson will be able to determine the root of the pain and create a personalized chiropractic and wellness plan to suit each patient’s individual needs. Under the supervision and care of our caring and skilled chiropractor, patients report higher functioning in all areas of their lives.
At Midlands Family Chiropractic, we will explain how chiropractic care works and give you a full evaluation to see if our chiropractic solutions are a good fit to address your needs. If there is a good fit, we can customize a plan of chiropractic care for your condition and health goals.
Midlands Family Chiropractic focuses on you as if it was our own family.