Prenatal Chiropractic
For Healthier Pregnancies and Safer, Easier Births
Research has shown that women who receive regular chiropractic care have healthier pregnancies, faster and easier births and deliver their babies with less need for medical interventions. Healthier moms and infants are the result. It is not necessary to have symptoms to see a prenatal chiropractor. Spinal subluxations—bones out of alignment in the spine—can be present even with no outward or obvious symptoms. Maintaining the spine in good alignment and free of subluxation can assure that the nervous system remains free from irritation or interference, which results in improved body function, better health through pregnancy and easier delivery.
Pregnant women are advised to avoid medications during pregnancy as much as possible. Chiropractic care offers a safe, painless and effective way to deal with some of the most common complaints of pregnancy, namely, mid and lower back pain, headaches, neck pain, leg pains, pubic bone pain, round ligament pain, nausea/vomiting, and malpresentations of the baby (breech, transverse, etc). It is also common for morning sickness and nausea to diminish immediately following a spinal adjustment.
Chiropractic care helps:
- Maintain higher function in the body
- Allow the body to heal itself without the use of medication
- Correct spinal subluxations through gentle maneuvers (non-invasive)
- Achieve and maintain balance in the bones, ligaments and muscles of the spine and pelvis to allow for a more comfortable pregnancy and an easier and faster birth
Alleviating Back Pain, Headaches, Neck Pain
Due to the growing weight on the front of the body, there is greater stress on the spine. This stress can lead to unbearable mid or lower back pain, neck pain and headaches, or even sciatic pain, which travels down the leg. Chiropractic offers a safe and effective solution to resolve these types of problems. Other symptoms that are addressed are pubic bone pain and round ligament pain, which can cause pain when raising the knee, as in climbing stairs.
An Easier Labor
Studies have shown how having chiropractic care during pregnancy allows for a faster, easier and less painful delivery. Some women who run past their due date have used treatment to help start labor, rather than having a hospital induce them.
Avoiding C-Sections
A November 7, 2001 report on a study conducted by the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association showed that a chiropractic technique known as the “Webster Technique” was statistically very successful in resolving breech pregnancies without medical procedures. A breech pregnancy is when the baby is not properly positioned in the mother’s womb near the date for delivery. If the baby is not positioned headfirst, the delivery may be difficult or even dangerous for both the mother and child, and usually results in a c-section.
The late Dr. Larry Webster, who was affectionately known as “the grandfather of chiropractic pediatrics”, created the Webster Technique. The study entailed surveying members of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association throughout the United States and Canada. The survey noted that there were a reported 112 cases of breech recorded by the chiropractors. Of these, the results were 102 positive resolutions. This means that in 102 of 112 cases the baby turned properly after the chiropractic procedure was performed.
The conclusions of this study clearly stated that, when successful, the Webster Technique avoids the costs and/or risks of external version, cesarean section or vaginal trial of breech. In view of these findings, the Webster Technique deserves serious consideration in the healthcare management of expectant mothers exhibiting adverse fetal presentations.
The focus of this technique is on the pregnant woman’s proper spinal and pelvic alignment. It reduces interference to the nervous system and balances out pelvic bones, muscles and ligaments, which, in turn, relaxes the uterus and removes undue strain and tension in it. This allows the baby to get into the best possible position for birth. The Webster Technique is the most well-known pre-natal chiropractic technique and does not involve any risk to either mother or baby.