Can help alleviate pain, reduce delivery time, and restore pelvic balance.
Should I See a Prenatal Chiropractor?
The vast majority of expecting women tend to neglect factoring a prenatal chiropractor into their birth preparation process. However, seeing a prenatal chiropractor offers a numerous amount of benefits to both the mother and the unborn baby, which is why prenatal chiropractic care is becoming increasingly popular. Here at Leigh Brain & Spine we have assisted women in maintaining a healthy pregnancy for many years with the help of the latest technology, adjustments, and our DRX9000C machine.
Why is Prenatal Chiropractic Care Important?
Throughout a pregnancy, women experience many hormonal and physical changes. These changes typically create several musculoskeletal issues, such as a misaligned spine or joints; poor posture; unnecessary pressure on the spine; muscle tightness and cramping; a protruding abdomen that is the result of an increased curve in the back; and a misaligned pelvis, which all result in inflammation and discomfort throughout the body.
A prenatal chiropractor works to resolve all of these musculoskeletal issues, along with many others. This occurs through the use of adjustments, which are designed to restore balance and alignment in the pelvis and spine, consequently easing the pain of the various issues that result from misalignment or shifted pressure. In fact, one collaborative chiropractic study found that 75% of women who regularly received prenatal chiropractic care reported pain relief from common pregnancy symptoms, especially back pain.
What are the Benefits of Seeing a Prenatal Chiropractor?
Prenatal chiropractic care offers a wide range of benefits that can dramatically improve the overall health of a pregnancy. A few of the major benefits include:
Restoring Pelvic Balance
Among the many numerous physical changes that occur during pregnancy, a pelvic shift is commonly one of them. Many women experience pelvic changes that create issues with their pelvic balance. Not only can this cause discomfort to the mother-to-be, but also confine the developing baby into a tighter space, limiting their ability to move and grow. A prenatal chiropractor can restore pelvic balance to ease the mother’s discomfort and lessen the chances of having a breeched baby or needing a cesarean delivery.
Relieving Lower Back and Neck Pain
The most common prenatal issue throughout pregnancy is lower back and neck pain. This pain is generally the result of shifts in the mother’s center of gravity due to the additional weight she must carry, poor alignment, bad posture, or weak abdominal muscles. Prenatal chiropractic care helps to eliminate this issue by restoring proper posture and alignment, while also preventing any long-term pain that can result from postural issues during pregnancy. Correcting the mother’s posture and alignment relieves the unnecessary pressure that was placed on her spinal cord, dramatically decreasing any lower back or neck pain.
Relieving Pain Associated with Sciatica
Sciatica is characterized by a firing pain that typically begins in the lower back or buttock and travels down the back of the hamstring below the knee cartilage. This is a common occurrence during pregnancy, as lower back pain in itself is already prevalent. Prenatal chiropractic care relives this pain by adjusting the alignment and muscles within the affected area to decrease the unnecessary pressure on the sciatic nerve.
Reducing Delivery Time
As mentioned before, most pregnant women will experience a pelvic shift as their hormones fluctuate and their body adjusts to accommodate the baby. However, a misaligned pelvis can confine the baby and inhibit the natural birthing process, making it difficult for the baby to naturally get into the best possible position for delivery. Having good alignment in the pelvis can eliminate potential complications and promote a smooth birth by ensuring that the baby is able to move about freely. Prenatal chiropractic care also keeps the nervous system balanced and healthy, which enables the entire body to work more effectively. So, it is no surprise that regular visits to a prenatal chiropractor often results in shorter labor and delivery times.
Frequently Ask Question About Prenatal Chiropractor
Is It Safe to See a Chiropractor While Pregnant?
Overall, chiropractic care is a noninvasive, effective method that maintains the overall health and alignment of the spinal cord, joints, and muscles, which significantly reduces pain associated with pregnancy. So, visiting a prenatal chiropractor while pregnant is completely safe. However, if a mother is experiencing pregnancy complications, such as vaginal bleeding, cramping, or ruptured amniotic membranes, they should gain clearance from a doctor before beginning prenatal chiropractic care.
How Does Prenatal Chiropractic Care Help My Baby?
Regularly visiting a prenatal chiropractor does not only offer the mother a variety of benefits, but also the baby. Generally, the healthier the mom is, the healthier the baby will be also. So, since prenatal chiropractic care helps to keep the expectant mother healthy and strong, this immensely benefits the baby and contributes to proper development. In addition, regular adjustments to establish pelvic balance benefit the unborn child by ensuring that they have enough room to naturally develop, eliminating any issues of confinement and birth defects. This also greatly decreases the chance of birthing complications, such as breeching and dystocia, which could put unhealthy amounts of stress on the child.
When Should I Start Seeing a Prenatal Chiropractor?
It is never too early or too late to start receiving prenatal chiropractic care! However, seeing a prenatal chiropractor before becoming pregnant or as soon as one becomes pregnant is the most ideal option. Dr. Leigh can immediately identify and treat imbalances in the pelvis, joint misalignments, or any other musculoskeletal issue that could cause pregnancy complications or discomfort, and ensure musculoskeletal stability throughout the entirety of the pregnancy.
How Often Should I see a Chiropractor While Pregnant?
The recommended frequency of seeing a prenatal chiropractor varies depending on the mother’s anatomy and the individual chiropractor. Some chiropractors recommend visiting biweekly, while others recommended every 2 weeks or once a month. For a specific recommendation, contact your local prenatal chiropractor.
Dr. Cosmas Leigh is skilled in interpreting MRI’s, performing physical exams using a variety of movements to ascertain the involvement of the Piriformis muscle and evaluating patient case history to determine if Piriformis Syndrome is at the root of a patient’s pain.
Why Leigh Brain and Spine Chiropractic of Chapel Hill?
Here at Leigh, Brain, & Spine, we do everything in our power to assist in keeping both you and your baby healthy and safe. A smooth, pain-free, healthy pregnancy is our ultimate goal. With years of experience in providing parental chiropractic care, we are fully equipped to provide fast pain relief, as well as ensure that your musculoskeletal structure is best accommodating your child.
Our prenatal chiropractic methods include a broad range of techniques that are used to locate, analyze and gently correct misalignments and imbalances. Dr. Leigh utilizes the DRX9000C machine to assist in this process and is the only chiropractic physician in the Triangle using this innovative machine. This spinal decompression medical device is an alternative, non-invasive approach toward providing fast pain relief for a wide variety of parental chiropractic issues that you might be experiencing and is completely safe for pregnant women to use. Throughout each trimester, the DRX9000C is designed to reduce and eliminate pressure between the woman’s pelvis and uterus. Dr. Leigh will also work in tandem with other healthcare professionals. If your condition requires extra attention from another branch of the healthcare profession, that recommendation or referral will be made.
