Chiropractic Care for Pregnancy Back Pain

About half of pregnant women develop low-back pain at some point during pregnancy, most commonly during the third trimester when the baby’s body gains the most weight. Can chiropractic care help with this unwanted spinal pain during the course of a pregnancy?

Basics of Pregnancy Back Pain

During pregnancy, a woman’s center of gravity slowly shifts forward to the front of her pelvis as the baby continues to grow. This additional weight puts extra stress on the pelvis and lower back and causes the curvature of her lower back to increase. 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.

Chiropractic Care for Pregnancy Back Pain

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 a safe way to help the spine and pelvis cope with the rapid physical changes 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

• 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.
• 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 things up, bend from the knees, not the waist. Your low back is 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.
• 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.

If you are in the south Denver Metro Area, Arapahoe Chiropractic & Acupuncture Center would love to provide chiropractic adjustments for you or a loved one suffering from pregnancy-related back pain. We provide chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, and nutritional counseling for pregnancy. Call us or contact us online today to get started!