Pregnancy is an amazing and wonderful time in a woman’s life. Pregnant women experience many changes during this time. Their body changes as the little human growing inside them get bigger and bigger, These changes are all individual to each woman and can be very exciting and can also be very overwhelming. Support is essential during this time.

The human body is an amazing machine. Pregnancy proves how resilient and adaptable the human body is.

Pregnant women often report:

• Neck pain
• Mid back pain
• Low back pain
• Pelvic pain/pressure
• Aching legs and buttocks
• Sciatic or shooting down the leg/foot
• Fatigue or low energy
• Sleep disturbances

Studies have shown that manual therapy, including chiropractic, can help decrease pain in pregnancy and labour. Chiropractors are trained to provide safe, effective and drug-free conservative care to relieve pain and improve function during pregnancy and after birth.

Due to weight gain and postural changes during pregnancy this may increase;

• demand and fatigue on spinal and pelvic muscles, they have to work harder!
• joint stress, which causes misalignments in the spine and sacroiliac joints, which can cause pain
• a less active lifestyle
• stress on spinal and pelvic ligaments, which can also cause pain

Factors that influence pain during pregnancy making the spine more vulnerable;

• hormone production (elastin) makes the joints more mobile and less stable
• weight gain of 20-25 pounds during pregnancy is typical, which is distributed mainly around the abdominal area
• the body attempts to compensate for these changes and so the center of gravity is altered causing increased postural strain and pain

Chiropractic care and pregnancy

Chiropractors work with the natural healing capabilities of the body and its ability to adapt and function the way it is meant to. Throughout pregnancy chiropractic is vital to the normal and optimal function of both the mother and baby. If a mom, or mom-to-be had any postural alterations or back pain before pregnancy, this is typically exacerbated throughout pregnancy.

In the initial examination we take time to find out about you. We find out about what your journey was before you became pregnant, what is happening now in real time and what your journey will be post-partum. We focus on four primary pillars of health which are; thinking well (relaxation and mindfulness), eating well (whole nutritious foods), moving well (daily movement) and having a highly functioning nervous system (chiropractic care).

From there we move onto the physical examination where we look at posture, ranges of motion, specific orthopedic/nerve testing, check for diastasis recti (separation of the abdominal muscles) and identify areas of the spine that may not be moving so well. We practice the Webster technique and so we also identify any potential problems that may be occurring in the sacrum and pelvis.

The Webster technique is a specific chiropractic analysis and diversified adjustment taught by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). It reduces stress on the nervous system and improves pelvic function. Its purpose is to detect and correct sacral misalignments and pelvis joint dysfunction.

A woman’s body has changed quite a bit before, during and after pregnancy in a relatively short amount of time. Because of this we always do recommend care or at minimum a spinal check post-partum to ensure mum’s (and even baby) body is aligned and functioning at the most optimal level.

Potential benefits of Chiropractic care:

For the mother;

• in creating a state of balance in the pelvis, muscles and ligaments this in turn prepares the pelvis for an easier pregnancy and birth
• decreases/resolves back and pelvic pain throughout pregnancy
• helps with sleep patterns, a more restful sleep!
• improved ability to stay active throughout birth
• with optimal fetal positioning there is a decrease in the risk for dystocia (abnormal labour/childbirth) and birth

For the baby;

• by reducing stress on the mothers’ nervous system this in turn allows for better baby development
• with the pelvis balanced, the baby has more room to develop without restrictions and allows the baby to have more room to move into the best position for birth
• in being in the proper position this decreases the risk of dystocia with birth
• improved ability to stay active throughout birth
• with optimal fetal positioning there is a decrease in the risk for dystocia (abnormal labour/childbirth) and birth

Is chiropractic care safe during pregnancy?

As always a thorough history and physical examination is done to ensure the pregnant woman is a good candidate for chiropractic care.

There are no known contraindications to chiropractic spinal and pelvic adjustments throughout pregnancy other than those affecting any non-pregnant individual, most commonly being some muscle/joint soreness after treatment.