If you’ve just received a referral from your OBGYN for chiropractic care, you might be wondering how it will help with pregnancy pain. Chiropractic care is a great natural and holistic form of care to help with pregnancy pain and prepare the body for birth and postpartum.  

Why Should I Seek Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy?

During pregnancy, there are several physical and hormonal changes that occur in the body in order to develop the baby and prepare the body for birth.  

This can cause pain and discomfort throughout pregnancy. In order to protect the health of you and the baby, it is important to find natural and holistic treatment to help reduce the pain. Specialized treatments such as chiropractic adjustments and soft tissue work can help provide pain relief in the hips, pelvis and back that avoids placing pressure on the abdomen. 

Studies show that 88% of pregnant women’s symptoms improved following chiropractic care. 

Additionally, as the body changes, this can result in a misaligned spine or joints. A few of the physical changes that can cause a misaligned spine include: 

• Protruding abdomen and increased back curve 
• Pelvic changes and imbalance  
• Postural adaptations 

In addition to pain relief, establishing pelvic balance and alignment is an important reason to obtain chiropractic care during pregnancy. When the pelvis is misaligned, it can reduce the amount of room available for the developing baby. A misaligned pelvis may also make it difficult for the baby to get into the best possible position for delivery. This can affect the mother’s ability to have a natural, non-invasive birth. Breech and posterior positions can interfere with the natural ease of labor and lead to interventions such as c-sections. The nervous system is the master communication system to all the body systems. Keeping the spine aligned helps the entire body work more effectively. Chiropractic care can also lead to a 31% shorter labor and delivery time! 

Benefits of Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy 

There are many benefits associated with chiropractic care during pregnancy. Some of the benefits include: 

• Pain Relief 
• Establish pelvic and spinal alignment 
• Improve body mechanics 
• Increase energy 
• More comfortable pregnancy 
• Easier delivery 
• Boosts overall mood 
• Faster postpartum recovery 
• Reduce spinal nerve stress 

Are Chiropractic Treatments Safe During Pregnancy? 

Yes! All of our doctors are trained to provide safe and gentle prenatal care. They use specialized treatment techniques that avoid placing pressure on the abdomen, while still achieving effective pregnancy pain relief in the hips, pelvis and back. 

Some of the most common pregnancy-related conditions that chiropractors treat include: 

• Back Pain 
• Neck Pain 
• Sciatica / Hip Pain 
• Round Ligament Pain 
• Diastasis Recti 
• Piriformis Syndrome 
• Headaches 

During a pre or post-natal appointment, you can expect specialized treatment designed to help you relieve pain, feel stronger, more mobile and supported. Doctors work with every woman on an individual basis to develop a treatment plan that is unique to their starting point and progression.  

Specialized Training in Pregnancy and Postpartum Care 

Our Fairfax chiropractor clinic director , Dr. Kirsten Gilmour, is certified as a BirthFit leader, which is an industry leading program that focuses on strength and conditioning, prehab and rehab exercises, and staying at the forefront of training in the motherhood transition. Dr. Gilmour works with all of our clinics to ensure that each doctor is properly trained in helping women have the best prenatal and postpartum experience they can have.  If you would like to schedule an appointment with Dr. Gilmour at our Fairfax location, click here. 

Postpartum Pain Treatment

In addition to providing pain relief during pregnancy and preparing the body for birth, chiropractic care can help provide postpartum pain relief. Chiropractic care can treat diastasis recti, postpartum back and neck pain, hip pain following delivery and more. They can also help you establish an individualized treatment plan that will work to not only correct any misalignments or imbalances but work to restrengthen the muscles to provide proper healing. 

Chiropractic Care for Diastasis Recti 

As mentioned above, a common condition chiropractors can also help with is diastasis recti. Diastasis recti occurs in pregnant and postpartum women when the rectus abdominis muscles (or six pack ab muscles) separate during pregnancy from being stretched to make room for the baby. The vertical muscles are separated by a band of tissue called the linea alba that runs down the middle, separating the muscles left and right. As the uterus expands during pregnancy, the linea alba stretches thin and pulls apart. Once the baby is delivered, the elastic band of tissue should heal and come back together. However, when the band is overstretched it can lose some of its elasticity and does not close as much as it should, which is called diastasis recti.   

If you are showing signs or symptoms of diastasis recti, we highly encourage you to book an appointment now so that you can work with a doctor to create an individual treatment plan for your care. However, you can also work on strengthening your core at home.   

Get Treated at Kaizo Health   

Our goal at Kaizo Health is to always get you back to feeling 100%. Not only will our doctors provide treatment to help you be pain-free, but we also have a dedicated team that will work with you and your insurance to make sure you get the most from your benefits so that you can experience relief for as little cost to you as possible. If you are ready to experience relief from the pain, make an appointment to see us now.   

At Kaizo Health, our world-class team of chiropractors in Rockville, MD; Landover, MD; Fort Washington, MD; and Fairfax, VA, practices an evidence-based approach combining chiropractic care and guided, individualized rehabilitative exercises prescription. We provide the treatment and resources you need to recover your health and strength as best-in-class, state-of-the-art chiropractors. We are here to help! In the meantime, make sure that you check out our blog for more information on the chiropractic field, as well as our free virtual self-assessment chiropractic web app here.