Why You Should Choose Chiropractic Care During Preganncy
There are few times in life when your body goes through as many changes as it does during the 9 months of pregnancy. Sure, it’s something a woman’s body is made to do, but that doesn’t mean women don’t need some extra support to stay healthy and comfortable. Here is what chiropractic care can do for you during your pregnancy.
Your Changing Body
Your spine has natural curves that are stressed when the additional weight of pregnancy is added to your abdomen. It throws off the balance of your body and that can leave you susceptible to injury. Plus, your abdominal muscles are not supporting your back as they should, and your body is producing a hormone that loosens ligaments so your pelvis can expand. It’s basically impossible to avoid back pain when so much is happening in your body.
Frequently, how well you do in pregnancy depends a lot on how you cared for yourself before you even got pregnant. Pre-pregnancy, your chiropractor can not only help to keep your body aligned and healthy, but also give you nutritional counseling in order to get your body in optimum shape. That’s why chiropractic care is so important not just during and after pregnancy, but before too.
Chiropractic Impact on Pregnancy
Your chiropractor can pinpoint any biomechanical problems you have during pregnancy and address them. Many chiropractors use the Webster technique on pregnant women, which is a method that utilizes a pattern of tight muscles, tight ligaments and restricted joint movement to find imbalances in your body.
While you are standing, the doctor places their hands on each hip to see which side is sitting lower. Then you will lie down on a table with a special pregnancy pillow or a special table with a special belly cut out that accommodates a growing belly. Then your chiropractor looks at the tightness in your lumbar spinal muscles in the lower back and compares them on both sides. They access your entire pelvis and lower spinal ligaments and muscles throughout this examination, in order to find where restrictions and tightness are. Once the imbalance has been determined, counter pressure is applied in order to release that side. This corrects the problem, get you aligned and hopefully help to lessen any pain and discomfort you may be experiencing.
So, if you’re thinking of becoming pregnant or are pregnant you should seek out chiropractic care. It will help you to keep healthy during such an important time in your life, lessen the pain and discomfort of growing another human being and help your body be in the proper condition to heal after you have given birth.
Used under Creative Commons Licensing courtesy of Carlo Scherer