During pregnancy, the body undergoes so many changes, from physical to emotional and lots of hormonal. So naturally, it is very important that we take some special care of it during this time.
Whether it is your first time being pregnant or your fifth, pregnancy is still an overwhelming time where you are provided with so much information that you’re not quite sure what to do with yourself. Which hospital? Birth plans? What vitamins are you taking? What can and can’t you eat? Often, it’s not until later on in pregnancy that women will focus on taking care of their musculoskeletal system and this is often because the pain has become so unbearable and uncomfortable. With early Chiropractic intervention, these transitioning stages may be made much more comfortable.
Is Chiropractic safe during pregnancy?
We get asked this often, Chiropractic care is considered safe and beneficial throughout all trimesters of pregnancy. The treatment used will be tailored to you and the way your body is moving and growing. The earlier you commence care, the easier is it to manage a growing and ever-changing body.
Pelvic girdle pain and Chiropractic
One of the most common conditions I see pregnant women for is pelvic girdle pain.
As you walk around throughout the day, the joints in the pelvis move ever so slightly. During pregnancy, these joints open up and move a lot more. This can start to cause pain around the pelvis, pelvic girdle and the muscles and ligaments that surround it. This is caused by a pelvis that is not moving so freely. This tends to happen as you grow throughout pregnancy causing an increased curve in the lower back and jamming up those joints.
At the base of your pelvis, you have all the muscles of the pelvic floor sitting in there like a hammock that bub is eventually going to have to come out of. Ideally, we would like our pelvic floor to be nice and smooth. So, if we have any tension or rotation through that pelvis, we tend to see the pelvic floor also have tension within it. It is really important for pregnancy and birth to have a nice and relaxed pelvic floor. As women, we spend most of our lives hearing about strengthening our pelvic floor, not relaxing it. So it is really important to be able to do both.
Our Chiropractors will be able to ensure that your pelvis is functioning correctly, allowing the pelvic floor to do the same.
Pubic symphysis pain and Chiropractic
A pain that some women find a bit awkward to ask for help with is known as pubic symphysis pain; aka, stabbing pain in your crotch. Like the pelvis shifting when we walk around and do day-to-day movements, the pubic symphysis does the same. During pregnancy, there is already an increased load on that joint and it tends to become stiff or move unevenly. When this happens, it causes this joint to shear together causing some pretty strong pain. Chiropractors adjust the pubic symphysis and make sure it’s positioned right where it is supposed to be so you don’t have to walk around in pain. The adjustments are low-force and very safe for you and bub.
Round ligament pain and Chiropractic
The round ligament is quite unique to pregnancy. During pregnancy, the round ligament that surrounds our uterus grows, becomes softer and stretches with bub. The round ligament is something we don’t really hear about until pregnancy and is a super important one to take care of. As this ligament gets softer, there is more risk for the ligament to become strained and sore. This can lead to that sharp jabbing pain in the lower belly or groin area (sometimes referred to as ‘lightning crotch’). As Chiropractors we have an important job in being able to feel the tension through this ligament and release it, we do this through a light pressure hold to release that tension.
Rib pain
Rib pain is a condition that is extremely common during pregnancy. It is common for two reasons – first, is that our ribs move and change position during pregnancy! As our baby grows, our ribs expand so that our normal organs that sit where bub is can move around, allowing space for bub to grow. The second reason for this pain is a lot of mums may already have a bub that they have to carry, pick up and tend to. When we pick up a child we often tend to carry them on one side causing torsion throughout the body. It can be a great idea during pregnancy to carry bub on the front of you, almost using your belly as a shelf.
There are many ways a Chiropractor can assist you in having a comfortable pregnancy and support you and your ever-changing body. Pregnancy can be an overwhelming time where you are flooded with questions, emotions, and big changes, it’s also a time when it’s really important to show your body some care. So, if you’re reading this and thinking it might be time to give your body that care, we are here to help,
Click HERE to book your initial consultation with one of our Chiropractors at Sydney Family Chiropractic.
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Our Chiropractors can provide you with tailored and appropriate care, as well as lifestyle advice to help improve your spinal health and overall wellbeing.