How Chiropractic Care Can Help Relieve The Aches And Pains Of Pregnancy

Pregnancy often comes with aches and pains you may not have felt before. Back pain is one of the most common pain-related complaints among pregnant women, and it can range from mild to severe and can occur anywhere along the spine, though the lower back is the most common place to experience pain. If conservative home treatment isn't adequately relieving your pain, a chiropractor who is experienced treating pregnant mothers can help you relieve your pain.

Help With Pelvic Alignment

Your ligaments loosen when you're pregnant to accommodate your growing body, and this loosening can easily affect your hip posture and pull your pelvis out of alignment. When your pelvis is tilted out of alignment, additional stress is placed on your lower back, which can lead to pain and even labor and delivery difficulties if the baby is unable to get into an appropriate head-down position ideal for birth.

An experienced chiropractor can assess your pelvis alignment and make gentle adjustments or position changes to help ease the pain by loosening your muscles, promoting proper posture and helping open your pelvis for your baby to get into a more comfortable position.

Spinal Changes from Your Growing Abdomen

As your pregnancy progresses and your belly continues to grow, you'll likely notice your spine having an increased curve to it. This difference in position can lead to vertebrae moving out of proper alignment, which can put pressure on nerves and lead to moderate to severe pain. Since the lower back is the most likely place pregnant women experience a large change in spinal curvature, the sciatic nerve is often affected. This nerve runs from the lower back, down through the buttock and hip and all the way down the leg on each side. Because the nerve covers so much area, it's possible your spine could be the cause of other types of pain, such as leg or foot pain.

Chiropractors can help gently adjust your spine to bring it back into proper alignment, which can make a huge difference in nerve pain since the nerve roots won't be as compressed or irritated when the spine is positioned properly.

Talk to your obstetrician or midwife before seeking out chiropractic care while pregnant. While seeing a chiropractor is perfectly safe for a large majority of pregnant women, some women who are at a higher risk for pregnancy complications shouldn't be adjusted. Make sure to tell your chiropractor how your pregnancy is going, including any issues or abnormal test results you may have had.

Contact a company like Fulk Chiropractic for more information and assistance.