Pregnancy causes many changes in the body. As the baby grows, an expecting mother’s center of gravity shifts. These shifts can cause a ripple effect, stressing the nervous and musculoskeletal systems and causing changes that can result in pain and discomfort.

While an expecting mother may not be totally surprised by their fluctuating hormones or growing belly, other symptoms, such as joint and ligament pain, lower back pain, and leg pain, can be very debilitating. At Cornerstone Chiropractic Health Center, we provide gentle, safe, and effective chiropractic treatment during pregnancy.  Many expecting mothers are concerned about chiropractic treatment and whether or not it’s safe. At Cornerstone Chiropractic, we’ve created a guide that will teach you about the many benefits chiropractic treatment can provide during your pregnancy and why this gentle effective treatment can be a great solution to pregnancy-related aches and pains. 

Is It Safe for Pregnant Women to Visit a Chiropractor? 

When chronic pain and discomfort affect your range of motion, and mobility, and prevents you from enjoying your pregnancy, chiropractic treatment can be a great solution. 

Regular visits with an experienced chiropractor can help eliminate pain during pregnancy. Chiropractic treatment is a safe and effective way to reduce pain, improve your activity and energy level, and allows you to enjoy a more restful sleep. 

Misaligned joints, a misaligned pelvis, spinal nerve stress, a misaligned spine, and muscle tension, can all cause ongoing pain that can be very debilitating.

Chiropractic treatment during pregnancy is safe and doesn’t involve harmful medication or invasive procedures. Chiropractic prenatal care can also help restore pelvic balance, promoting a healthier, more comfortable pregnancy.

What is a Prenatal Chiropractor? 

A prenatal chiropractor is just like a regular chiropractor in that they focus on pelvic and spinal adjustments to relieve tension and pain. However, a prenatal chiropractor will also have special training and knowledge about common pregnancy-related aches and pains and the pregnant body. Treatment focuses more on pelvic alignment to ensure there’s enough for the infant to grow.

Additionally, these chiropractors also know about common pregnancy-related ailments and will use gentle pressure and innovative techniques that are safe for both the expecting mother and the infant. They are also trained to modify standard chiropractic treatments that are safe for all stages of pregnancy.

What Are the Benefits of Seeing a Chiropractor for Me and My Baby? 

In most cases, chiropractic care is safe for women during their entire pregnancy. Once a woman gets the green light from their OB/GYN, they can schedule a chiropractic appointment. Regular treatment can address a host of pregnancy concerns and offers many benefits, especially for women who suffer from joint pain, round ligament pain, sciatic pain, back pain, or sore muscles during pregnancy. 

As a woman’s belly grows during pregnancy, so does the curvature of the spine. The placenta can begin secreting amounts of the relaxin hormone that helps the cervix to dilate. Before labor, the hormone relaxin can help loosen the ligaments, allowing the pelvis to soften. All of the loose ligaments can cause moderate to severe pelvic and hip pain, as well as sacroiliac dysfunction.

Chiropractic care will help by realigning the joints affected by pregnancy. Spinal manipulation and other treatments can also provide relief from muscle tension and common pregnancy-related aches and pains. Since musculoskeletal adjustments affect the nervous system, treatment provides the following helpful benefits:

• Relief from pregnancy-related pain
• Can treat sciatica in pregnancy
• Improved sleep
• Improves spinal health 
• Reduced edema
• Treatment can result in quicker deliveries 
• Promotes faster healing after birth 
• Headache pain relief
• Can prevent muscle spasms 
• Reduced symptoms of nausea

What a Chiropractor Can Do for Pelvic Pain and Other Related Issues during Pregnancy 

Chiropractic care can help by naturally relieving pain.

Adjustments can also reduce pressure on the sciatic nerve, which can become compressed during pregnancy, resulting in severe pain.

Aligning the pelvis can ensure there’s enough space for the infant to rest and grow.

This natural treatment for pain relief can also help improve flexibility, range of motion, and energy, and improve sleep.

Adjustments Can Give Your Baby More Space 

An infant can work themselves into a cramped space in the womb. Chiropractic adjustments can help give the infant more space to move, rest, and grow. It will also improve blood flow to the uterus, which supports infant growth.

Chiropractic Care Can Take the Pressure off Your Belly 

There are many physical and hormonal changes that a woman will face during pregnancy. Some of these changes can impact comfort and posture. As an infant grows and becomes heavier, the expecting mother’s center of gravity will change, causing their posture to change. These shifts can cause an increased curve in the back and pelvic misalignments. Chiropractic treatments, such as belly-taping, can provide instant relief. Belly taping treatment involves running strips of kinesiology tape under the belly to the lower back. The tape is stretched to help slightly raise the belly, reducing pressure on the lower back, and resulting in instant pain relief. 

Regular chiropractic care during pregnancy can target this issue and others to reduce pressure on the belly, improve posture, and eliminate pain.

Safety Precautions 

According to the American Pregnancy Association, there is no reason to avoid chiropractic treatment during pregnancy. Treatment will not cause an increased risk of complications during pregnancy or delivery. Of course, pregnant women should speak with their treating OB/GYN to determine if chiropractic treatment is right for them. Women who experience severe abdominal pain, and vaginal bleeding, or those who have been diagnosed with a high-risk pregnancy should not seek chiropractic care.

Contact Cornerstone Chiropractic Today to Schedule an Appointment 

Prenatal chiropractic treatment is not only safe, but it can also provide relief from common aches and pains associated with pregnancy. Treatment is safe and effective for each stage of pregnancy and also offers many benefits for expecting mothers.

At Cornerstone Chiropractic, our caring staff specializes in prenatal chiropractic treatment and would love to help you enjoy a pain-free, comfortable pregnancy. Our chiropractic services can help support pregnancy wellness and postnatal recovery. To learn more or to schedule a chiropractic visit, contact us today.