How Chiropractic Care Can Ease Pregnancy Discomforts

Congrats on your pregnancy! Bringing a child into this world is truly one of life's greatest joys. 

That said, you know it isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Over half of all pregnant people are familiar with the physical aches that make pregnancy tedious—back pain, neck soreness, and fatigue, to name a few. Thankfully, chiropractic care can ease pregnancy discomforts to help you enjoy a more comfortable time growing your baby. 

To help you understand it better, let’s talk about chiropractic for expectant mothers and how it works as an effective pregnancy pain relief treatment. 

Common Pregnancy Discomforts and Their Causes

Among many other conditions and discomforts, pregnancy often causes pain in different parts of your body due to various reasons.

Back Pain and Sciatica

The uterus’ expansion and resulting shifts in your center of gravity can put pressure on areas that were free before. Unfortunately, your lumbar region (lower back) bears the brunt of this additional weight. It also presses on the sciatic nerve running down your lower back and thighs, causing pain, weakness, and numbness in your legs.

Pelvic Pain and Misalignment

The hormone relaxin loosens your muscles and ligaments during pregnancy to help your body stretch as your child grows. What’s more, it slackens your pelvic muscles to prepare for childbirth. The downside is these movements sometimes misalign your pelvis, causing discomfort and pain. In some cases, this may affect your baby’s position during delivery. 

Neck and Shoulder Pain

The tension from these additional weight and posture changes causes irregular musculoskeletal stress along your upper back, especially around your neck. In effect, you could suffer from neck and shoulder pain that won’t go away no matter how often you stretch them.

How Chiropractic Care Eases Pregnancy Discomforts

Having a comfortable pregnancy is crucial to your and your baby’s well-being, so consider trying out chiropractic treatments. They offer noninvasive and natural pregnancy care to relax your body as it changes throughout the trimesters.

1. Spinal Adjustments for Back Pain Relief

Proper alignment ensures your back supports your body well as you undergo these changes. Chiropractic for expectant mothers helps your spine achieve this goal by realigning your spine and reducing strain on your lumbar area, easing the pressure on your muscles and nerves that trigger back pain.

2. Pelvic Alignment and Stability

A misaligned pelvis is risky for you and your baby. Fortunately, gentle adjustments around this area correct the problem, alleviating pelvic pain and improving stability during pregnancy. It also ensures smoother labor by creating more room for your child to move into the optimal position for delivery.

3. Reducing Sciatica and Nerve Pain

Chiropractic techniques and adjustments help relieve sciatica and other nerve problems throughout pregnancy by reducing pressure around your lower back. In turn, you’ll experience less pain and numbness along your legs, allowing you to stand and walk around more comfortably.

4. Relieving Neck and Shoulder Tension

Adjustments fix misalignments that put pressure on the nerves and muscles around your neck and shoulders. Likewise, soft tissue therapy—a clinical massage of your muscles, tendons, and ligaments—directly loosens tight muscles in your upper body, making your pregnancy experience more comfortable.

The Benefits of Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy

Now, let’s dive into how chiropractic care can ease pregnancy discomforts and make these crucial months less taxing on your body.

1. Safe and Natural Pain Relief

Chiropractic care is a safe way to manage and relieve pain during pregnancy. First off, it’s drug-free, so you don’t have to worry about medications affecting your baby’s growth. Second, it’s natural because it recognizes that your body has an innate healing ability and can adapt to pregnancy's changes—chiropractic only makes this process easier and more comfortable.

2. Improved Comfort and Mobility

Is pregnancy making it more challenging to move around? Chiropractic care maintains mobility by relieving muscle tension that restricts your movement. This benefit makes staying physically active during pregnancy easier, helping you achieve a more positive and less stressful experience.

3. Supporting a Healthier Pregnancy and Delivery

All things considered, chiropractic for expectant mothers like yourself supports a healthier pregnancy by reducing stress on your body, improving nervous system function, and promoting your and your child’s overall well-being. It also makes delivery smoother by enabling optimal baby positioning through spinal and pelvic alignments.

What to Expect During Chiropractic Care for Pregnancy Discomforts

Like all medical appointments, your first chiropractic visit will typically involve a healthcare professional thoroughly assessing your discomforts, performing a physical examination, and discussing your pregnancy history. Then, based on their findings, they’ll develop a personalized treatment plan.

Each appointment is tailored to your unique needs as a pregnant woman. Do your shoulders hurt due to tension? The practitioner might perform a soft tissue massage to loosen up your upper back muscles. Meanwhile, if you suffer from sciatica, gentle spinal adjustments might be necessary to relieve the pressure on your nerves.

It’s also essential to keep up with your follow-up visits. Here, the practitioner will monitor your progress and adjust the treatment plan to ensure your ongoing comfort and nip emerging problems in the bud before they worsen.

Have a Comfortable Pregnancy with Core Health Spine & Rehabilitation

Chiropractic has long been a go-to for pregnant women with physical aches, and it has helped make their experience of growing a baby less stressful. So, allow yourself the same level of relaxation. Chiropractic care can ease pregnancy discomforts safely and naturally, enabling you to enjoy a much more pleasant time.

Give yourself the treatment you deserve. Consult with our professionals at Core Health Spine & Rehabilitation to learn more about integrating chiropractic treatments into your pregnancy care plan.

Schedule a consultation with us today!