Dr. Jess (Chiropractor) from Total Health Chiropractic Yeppoon answers some commonly asked questions about pregnancy and Chiropractic! Watch the video above, or read through the video transcription below!
What does a Chiropractor do for a pregnant woman during pregnancy?
This does vary a lot depending on the person, but some of the reasons that people come to see a Chiropractor during their pregnancy include common things like lower back pain, sciatica, neck and shoulder tension, tightness, headaches. But then we also get round ligament pain, so right at the base of the belly there’s a big ligament called the round ligament that basically helps support the uterus and the baby. You can also get things like pubic pain. A lot of women also come to see a Chiropractor as more of a preventative reason. So, the way that we check and adjust the spine during pregnancy is basically in a way so that we are making sure there’s beautiful movement in through the pelvis and sacrum at the base of the spine to ensure that the bones and the joints are moving as well as they can to allow you to be as comfortable as possible. Not only through your pregnancy journey, but also birth and labour.
How often should a pregnant woman go to a Chiropractor?
So that does depend on a lot of different factors. Certainly depends on one – what you feel like you need, and two – what shows up on your initial exam, how far along you are, if you’re quite early in your pregnancy, if you’re quite late, if you’ve been seeing a Chiropractor prior to falling pregnant, or if you have just started seeing one during your pregnancy. It really does depend, but sometimes women would come to see us every week. Sometimes it’s multiple times a week. Sometimes it’s every fortnight, three weeks, four weeks. It does depend – definitely ask your local Chiropractor and they will be able to give you a much better answer.
Can a Chiropractor ‘crack’ your back while you are pregnant?
Yes, you can. Getting your back ‘cracked’ or adjusted is a very gentle and safe technique that we use. If for whatever reason that for you in particular there is some contraindication or reason we shouldn’t be doing a manual adjustment where we might hear a click or a pop through your spine, then we absolutely wont. In most circumstances, this type of adjustment is safe for pregnant women.
Can a Chiropractor cause a miscarriage?
There is nothing in the literature to say that Chiropractic adjustments can cause a miscarriage. It is not something that has occurred – as far as I know and as far as what the research says. It would be basically impossible for a Chiropractor to cause a miscarriage. It’s kind of like getting a massage or something like that. There is a very low risk of that ever happening. We definitely would not do what we do if there was a risk of causing miscarriage.
Can a Chiropractor induce labour?
Whilst we can’t induce labour per se, there are techniques we do that stimulates certain channels and pathways in the body that gets the body ready for labour. There have been many times anecdotally where a woman has come to get an adjustment very late on in their pregnancy and they have gone into labour later that day or the next day. Whilst it may not necessarily be correlated, Chiropractic care does make things move and feel a lot better and bub can then decide it’s time to come!
Do I need to tell the Chiropractor if I am pregnant?
Yes. As scary as it can be to tell people you are pregnant, especially in the early days, it is an important thing that we need to know. Especially earlier on as there are some techniques we may or may not have to modify depending on you and your body. It’s definitely something we should know and you should tell us about – just so we are being 110% safe and making sure that we’re doing all the right things for you, your body and your baby.
Can I go to the Chiropractor during my first trimester?
Yes! Myself, all the other Chiropractors at Total Health Chiropractic and other Chiropractors see many women in their preconception phase (in the lead up to them conceiving). So, therefore we continue to keep adjusting them during the first trimester. A lot of the time, women can experience quite intense aches, pains and different kinds of feelings in their body during the first trimester and really do find adjustments or seeing a Chiropractor can really help.
Why does my back crack so much while pregnant?
Sometimes some women’s backs will start to ‘crack’ a little bit more than what it normally would whilst they are pregnant. One of the big reasons for this is the relaxant that’s floating around the body – especially in the late stages of pregnancy, that relaxant is designed to help relax and soften the joints ready for the birth process. So that can cause a lot more mobility through the joints, therefore when we do perform an adjustment, rather than having normal kinds of tension or tightness, the body adjusts and releases really nicely and you can hear a ricocheting effect and there may be a few more cracks than you would normally hear. Again, not a bad thing – it doesn’t mean anything bad or harmful, the body is quite pliable and soft and it’s ready to go. On the other hand, some women get quite stiff and tense and tight because they’re holding another human in their belly that their body starts to tighten up and they hear less clicks and pops. Every woman responds differently, just make sure if you have any questions that you chat with your local Chiropractor.
Have any further questions about pregnancy and Chiropractic? Reach out to Dr. Jess or any of our other Chiropractors at Total Health Chiropractic.
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