Seeing a Chiropractor for Pregnancy Pain
“Seeing a chiropractor for pregnancy pain is the worst choice a woman can make,” declares the wealthy, Overland Park new mother to her small group of perfectly tanned 30 something friends sitting just a few feet from us as they lay beside the neighborhood pool watching their kids play. As she sipped her virgin sangria and fixed her hair, Marie Holtz was the picture of the modern pregnant woman. Her belly popping out of her Nordstrom suit under her Pottery Barn umbrella.
She complained about her back pain and sciatica, but she wanted “only the best for her baby,” she said. She explained to her friends how she had insisted that her doctor write her a prescription for back pain relief and went on to list all the perils and hardships that resulted from her pregnancy pain. In spite of his warnings that the drugs had not been studied enough on pregnant women, she was taking pain pills regularly throughout her pregnancy. “Pain is just part of the package, and the pills just get me through,” she said, and all her friends nodded, “but I’d never see a chiropractor for pregnancy pain. How would I lay on my stomach?”
I desperately wanted to ask Mrs. Overland Park Mother if the pain pills were working, or if she found that they didn’t dull the pain as much as she’d hoped. I also felt sad that, even though she was living a life of plenty, during her pregnancy, she was suffering with pain without correct information.
An Alternative to Pregnancy Pain
Natural, non-medical treatments for pregnancy-related pain are not just a recent trend. Drugs of any kind are rarely tested on pregnant mothers for fear that they might cause complications for either the mother or the baby. This leaves pregnant mothers looking for natural alternatives for pain management, and seeing a chiropractor for pregnancy pain is becoming increasingly popular.
Chiropractic and Pregnancy
Women who see a chiropractor for pregnancy report having fewer “pregnancy symptoms.”
Chiropractors specialize in the skeletal and nervous systems. This includes the vertebra that make up the spine and all the nerves running from the spinal cord throughout the body. During pregnancy, as the baby grows, the weight of the baby puts pressure on the vertebra in the low back. As the pelvis tilts forward, it stretches the sciatic nerve as it runs down the back of the buttocks. When the sciatic nerve is stretched or pinched it causes a condition called sciatica. Sciatica is most-often described as pain shooting down the back of the leg. As many as 75% of pregnant women experience sciatica pain during their pregnancy.
Pregnancy Chiropractic Care
A chiropractor does a thorough examination to determine which of the mother’s joints are our of alignment. Following, the exam, he will most-likely treat the misaligned joint with a chiropractic adjustment. This consists of light impulses, applied by the hand to the joint that is not moving correctly. Chiropractors use a drop table or a table specially designed for pregnant women that has a hole cut to fit a mother’s growing belly. This allows for pregnancy chiropractic treatment of the lower back while keeping the baby and the mother comfortable.
A chiropractic adjustment restores motion to these joints and allows the body to move freely. By determining the cause of the pain and restoring motion, seeing a chiropractor while pregnant can eliminate pregnancy pain throughout your entire pregnancy.
Pregnancy Pain Relief
Having experienced, first-hand, the pain relief that comes from seeing a chiropractor while pregnant, I knew how much better I felt after a pregnancy chiropractic treatment. As my own kids swam in the pool, and I enjoyed the warmth of the sun, pregnancy-free, I intensely wanted Mrs. Overland Park mother to know that there was a better, more natural way to find pregnancy pain relief.
Women who see a chiropractor while pregnant report feeling:
- More comfortable
- Less morning sickness
- More energy
- Deeper sleep
- Fewer sciatica symptoms
- Less symptoms from back pain
Mrs. Overland Park mother wasn’t choosing to cover up the pain with medication because her insurance didn’t cover chiropractic care during pregnancy. In fact, it’s a covered benefit on most health insurance plans. She was still in pain because of a choice, or rather, a lack of knowledge and correct information.
If you have a pregnant woman in your life, please share this story. You never know how much it might help.
Learn More:
Mommas, Do you have Pregnancy Pain? Read this.
Sciatica Treatment During Pregnancy Eliminates Back Pain and Leg Pain