Pregnancy and Chiropractic Care

Chiropractic care during pregnancy is generally a great idea! Here is what you should know:

There are no contraindications to getting a chiropractic adjustment during a normal pregnancy. During the first trimester, you will probably still feel comfortable lying face down on the chiropractic adjusting table. At Chiropractic Advantage, I use a special body cushion with a bowl-shaped cutout to ensure that you can comfortably lie face down until about month four or five. After that, you can still be adjusted just as easily lying on your side and face up.

Your body begins making the hormone relaxin to loosen your pelvic ligaments, among other things. But sometimes, the sacroiliac joints or the pubic symphysis can slip out of place, causing sharp pain. A chiropractic adjustment puts you back in place.

Even if you do not experience back pain with pregnancy, I still encourage you to see a chiropractor during the last trimester. Here’s why: if the pelvis is in perfect moving order, your labor is going to be easier and shorter, and your baby can slide through the birth canal without a hitch. Years of clinical experience back me up here–I recall only one pregnant woman who was my patient who had to have a caesarian section. Most women report that they are happy to have had a short labor.

If you have an epidural injection during labor, it can leave you with chronic soreness in the back, and even pain or numbness shooting from the injection site down your outer hip and thigh. Again, a chiropractic adjustment is an excellent solution to this common problem. Finally, I always encourage women to come in for a post-partum adjustment as soon as they are ready to leave the house. After all, your entire posture changes once you’ve delivered your baby. Let’s put you back in shape so you heal in perfect alignment as the relaxin begins to fade away. All the best, Dr. Sharon Martinez