Can pregnant women get chiropractic care? Absolutely!! Should pregnant women get chiropractic care? Definitely!!
Even if you don’t have any symptoms, you can still benefit from chiropractic care during your pregnancy.
Why Get Chiropractic Care When Pregnant?
There are so many changes that happen to your body during pregnancy, including the movement of bones and ligaments, that making sure you have a strong spinal foundation just makes sense. As your pregnancy progresses, hormonal changes start to relax the supporting tissues of the spine. This is normal; however, it is vitally important that you maintain correct alignment in your spine. In addition, getting chiropractic care ensures that your pelvis is sitting properly in order to allow optimum room for your baby to grow and move.
What Does Research Say About It?
Research has shown that correct alignment of the spine and pelvis contributes to better labor with less pain for both mother and child. It promotes a smoother, more comfortable delivery, which can include decreased labor time. Subluxations in the mother have been implicated in fetal constraint within the uterus and pelvis, which can interfere with the baby’s presentation at birth as well as natural delivery.
In a hospital study that incorporated chiropractic adjustments during the patient’s pregnancy, the results indicated that there was a 50% decreased need for painkillers during delivery, which was due to the pre-delivery adjustments.
What Is The Webster Technique?
You may have heard of the Webster technique for pregnant women. Many women seek it out during their pregnancy, however, there are other techniques that work just as well, if not better, than the Webster technique, including Dr. Dody’s technique of KST. The Webster technique looks only at balancing the pelvis. While this is great, Dr. Dody’s method of KST looks at the body as a whole, not just the pelvis. The pelvis does play a big role during pregnancy, but there are many other factors that need to be taken into account, which the KST technique does. A testimonial using KST:
“The baby turned immediately (confirmed by next ultrasound scan.)” -Terry
How Does Chiropractic Help Pregnancy?
Chiropractic care helps you to be as healthy as possible during pregnancy and therefore, helps your baby to develop as healthy as possible. Chiropractic care allows you to have a well-functioning nervous system, which enables you to easily combat many of the hurdles of pregnancy. Often women accept discomforts such as nausea, heartburn, constipation, hemorrhoids, shortness of breath, and constipation to name a few when they actually don’t need to.
If you have nerve dysfunction, it can promote a chemical imbalance and a lack of harmony in the body. These imbalances affect areas of the brain that are responsible for controlling emotions and could alter your perceptions and moods. When you get a chiropractic adjustment, chemicals in the body such as dopamine and some types of endorphins are released, which offer a sense of well-being. Studies have shown that people under chiropractic care are less affected by stress, have more energy, think more clearly, and have a greater quality of life.
Conclusion of Chiropractic Care and Pregnancy
Chiropractic care can help you have an amazing pregnancy and labor. There are many ways chiropractic can help. Chiropractic care can reduce lower back pain, reduce pregnancy discomforts, and allows the body to be optimally prepared for labor. A fully functioning nervous system also allows your baby to develop properly.
Dr. Dody has seen many pregnant women throughout his career, making their pregnancies and labor more comfortable. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment, please call us at 303-794-1737.
