Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy? Here’s What You Should Know

Between morning sickness and fatigue, pregnancy takes its toll on your physical and emotional well-being. On top of these common side effects of pregnancy, many women also experience back and pelvic pain as their bodies change and their bellies grow.

Though you can take certain types of over-the-counter pain medication to alleviate your discomfort, you need to limit your use. When you have chronic back and pelvic pain during pregnancy, you may be searching for safer ways to get relief, like chiropractic care.

At Legacy Pain and Regenerative Medicine, our experienced chiropractor, Dr. Trace Alexander, uses many tools and therapies to help his patients get relief from their pain conditions.

Here, we want to share with you all the things you need to know about chiropractic care during pregnancy.

Pregnancy aches and pains

Your body undergoes many changes during your pregnancy. Your blood volume doubles, digestion slows down, ligaments loosen, and weight goes up. 

All of these physical changes cause many of the aches and pains you experience throughout your pregnancy. It’s estimated that more than 50% of women experience some amount of back pain during their pregnancies. 

Hip pain is also a common complaint. In preparation for delivery of your baby, the normally tight ligaments that hold your sacroiliac joint together tend to loosen. These changes affect alignment of the weight-bearing joints, causing pain in the hips and pelvis.

Chiropractic care during pregnancy

Chiropractic care is a noninvasive therapy that focuses on alignment of the spine and joints and how it affects the nervous system. Using hands-on techniques, chiropractors adjust the spine and joints to improve alignment, relieve pain, and restore the lines of communication between your body and nervous system.

Because your pain-relieving options are limited during pregnancy, chiropractic care may be a safe alternative to help you get relief from pregnancy-related aches and pains. However, you should first talk to your obstetrician before starting therapy. Chiropractic care is contraindicated in pregnant women with vaginal spotting, high blood pressure, or edema. 

When providing chiropractic care during pregnancy, we use a special table and adjustment techniques that limits pressure on the abdomen. 

Other benefits of chiropractic care

Though many pregnant women may only consider chiropractic care when suffering from back or hip pain, including regular chiropractic treatments in your pregnancy care plan may prevent these types of aches and pains.

Loose ligaments, your protruding belly, and changes in your posture affect alignment of your spine and joints. Regular chiropractic care ensures your body stays in proper alignment, improving weight distribution, spine health, and joint function and potentially preventing back and hip pain. 

Additionally, changes in the sacroiliac joint may cause misalignment of the pelvis. These changes may affect growth and movement of your baby and prevent your baby from moving into the proper position for a vaginal birth. 

Chiropractic adjustments during pregnancy keep your pelvis aligned, improving your baby’s growth, allowing movement, and reducing your risk of a breech delivery. 

Chiropractic care is a gentle, hands-on practice that benefits many health and wellness needs, including those specific to pregnancy. To schedule a consultation with our experienced chiropractor, call the office most convenient to you — in Plano or Addison, Texas — or click the “book online” button.