Aches and pains are very common in pregnancy but only 21% of pregnant women with back pain seek help for it. Just because back pain is common doesn't mean that women should suffer in silence. Chiropractic care can help to ease many of the symptoms of pain. Not only that, but it can also help with making sure that the baby is in the best position. Some pregnant women can be concerned about the safety of receiving chiropractic care during pregnancy, but there is no reason to be. It is considered a safe and effective treatment for back pain in pregnant women.

Why is pain so common in pregnancy?

Back pain is very common in pregnancy, with around 50% of pregnant women experiencing it. Not only that, but 50-75% of women experience back pain during labor. Pelvic pain is also a common occurrence, as is pain in the joints.

The main reason for pain during pregnancy is that during pregnancy, the body releases a hormone called relaxin. Its role is to soften the ligaments in the pelvis to prepare it for labor, but it also softens the rest of the ligaments in the body. This means that it is easy for the joints to move further than their normal range of motion, which can cause injury and pain. The spine and joints can also become misaligned.

Alongside this, the growing baby causes the center of gravity to shift, forcing the posture to adjust. This can put stress and strain onto the lower back, and can force it into a curve. The weight of the baby can also put added strain on the pelvis.

How can chiropractic care help with pregnancy?

Chiropractic care can help to relieve pain in the back, neck, hips, pelvise, and joints. In fact, 75% of pregnant chiropractic care patients report pain relief after treatment. It can also help to correct misalignments in the pelvis. These misalignments have the potential to make labor much more difficult than it needs to be. For example, it can make it harder for the baby to get into the correct position to prepare for birth, increasing the risk of them being in a breech or posterior position. It can also cause a longer labor.

Is chiropractic care safe during pregnancy?

Chiropractic care is considered a safe and effective means of treating common musculoskeletal symptoms in pregnancy and can also increase the chances of a natural and unassisted birth, according to a thorough review of the literature (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2647084/).

Another review that collected cases of adverse reactions to chiropractic care in pregnancy from 1978 to 2009 found only a handful of reported cases from all those decades, which means that they can be considered rare (https://chiromt.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/2045-709X-20-8).

Chiropractic care is considered to be a safe treatment option during pregnancy, with adverse reactions being very rare. It can help to relieve pain and discomfort in the back, pelvis, and joints. It can also increase the chances of a natural labor, reduce the chance of the baby being breech or posterior, and can even reduce the length of labor.

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