Most pregnant women suffer from three common physically painful symptoms: sciatica, or traveling pain down the buttocks and one or both legs, indigestion and heartburn, and headaches. Certainly, a pregnant woman can take pain medication or anti-inflammatory drugs—even over the counter mediations. But is that really in the best interests of the unborn child? Or the mother, for that matter?
That’s where chiropractic treatment fits in. It offers significant relief of the pain and other symptoms through a drug-free alternative specifically designed to meet the needs and shape of a developing pregnancy.
Imbalances in the Spine and Pelvis Cause Pressure on the Nerves
Sciatica
The origins of sciatica are easy to trace. As the mother’s body grows to accommodate the child growing within her, her center of gravity changes and her stance adjusts to fit her developing body. The muscles and ligaments in her pelvis and back become stressed and traumatized when adapting to these changes. The mother’s spine and pelvis shift out of alignment. When the spine is not aligned, subluxations occur. These dislocations of a bone in a joint squeeze the nerve roots that stem from the discs between the spinal vertebrae. The more the body changes and grows, the more the spine’s position adjusts, and the more pressure builds on the nerve roots and blood vessels.
These changes are easy to see. Any pregnant woman, at almost any stage, need only stand sideways in front of a mirror to see the growing arch of her back, the backward thrust of her hips, and the jutting forward of her neck muscles all striving to establish some balance for the lower spinal changes. Next, if she stands facing the mirror, she should be able to detect differences in the levels of her hips.
Think of it as a “vicious oval” instead of a sublime circle. Like the proverbial egg, an oval does not stand upright. As it tilts, so does the spine, the pelvis, the nerve roots, and the blood vessels. Changes like this do not occur without pain.
Chiropractic adjustments during pregnancy can avoid stress and trauma to the spinal chord and pelvis through a course of treatment designed specifically for pregnancy. These adjustments are called The Webster Technique and were discovered by Dr. Larry Webster. The Webster Technique uses special adjustments performed using very specific positioning of the pregnant body to correct sacral subluxations and imbalance of the pelvic muscles and ligaments so that the uterus can enlarge symmetrically, further enhancing the proper balance and alignment of the spine and hips.
Indigestion and Heartburn
Stabbing pains in the back, hips, and legs are not the only results of the subluxations and misalignments of the vertebrae and pelvis. Nerve impinge ment and diminished blood flow through the blood vessels in spinal cord can cause indigestion and heartburn. Contrary to the folk tales of yesteryear, you cannot tell how much hair your baby will have by how much heartburn you suffer. However, an experienced chiropractor can tell how misaligned your thoracic vertebrae are by how much heartburn you suffer.
The same Webster Technique adjustments that release the pressure on the sciatic nerve also release the pressure on the other nerves and blood vessels through the mid-back region. Permitting the free flow of information through the nerves and the free flow of blood through the blood vessels assists digestion and helps to pass along the information that the stomach receives about how much acid it needs to release.
The relief of heartburn for everyone, not just pregnant women, is one of the goals of chiropractic. Chiropractors believe in relief without pills through proper alignment. Just as chiropractic often reduces or eliminates heartburn in other patients, chiropractic adjustments correct the primary cause of the acidity that plagues pregnant women by creating proper alignment of the thoracic vertebrae. And if you really want to know how much hair your unborn child has, there are better, less stressful and far less painful methods to rely upon.
Headaches
Symmetrical growth, proper balance, and effective alignment of the spinal chord and the pelvis allow far less stress on the cervical, or neck, area of the spine. Pressure applied to specific identifiable spots along the spine and at the base of the skull release stress and tension from the muscles, permitting them to recover their natural, normal, and balanced positions. With enhanced and balanced positioning, headaches are significantly reduced and even may cease altogether, without medication.
No pregnant woman should suffer needlessly. Pain during pregnancy is not normal, nor is something that must be to be endured. A simple course of chiropractic treatment can reduce or eliminate sciatica, heartburn and indigestion, and headaches, leaving the mother free to enjoy her wondrous feelings of joy and contentment. The anxiety and fear, the hormonal changes, and even the weight gain or loss will eventually take care of themselves.