The role of chiropractic in managing low back and pelvic pain in pregnant women is becoming clearly more important as the side effects of medications become more obvious. Being pregnant rules out the use of over the counter pain relievers. The evidence shows there are serious risks to the developing baby from using medications. They are able to pass into the baby from the mothers’ umbilical cord. This complicates pain management during pregnancy. What options does the mother to be have in relieving back and pelvic pain?
As a chiropractor with 22 years experience I can tell you that chiropractic care is a viable treatment option for relieving pelvic and lower back pain during pregnancy. You may think that it posed a risk for the baby. There is no adverse risk for the baby. The role we play as chiropractors is to identify where subluxations exist in the body. Once located the chiropractor will try and reduce the subluxation. A subluxation is a bone that is out of place causing nerve interference and many cases of pain. The brain is aware of the misalignment and pain impulses will continue until addressed. Pain medication will block the pain impulse allowing the person to function but with a compromised system. If the subluxation is not fixed further subluxation and muscle dysfunction ensue presenting with a worsening clinical picture. The problem is that the person will have been taking pain medication for extended periods of time. Prolonged use of medication causes many organic health issues besides the presenting pain.
Once we start correcting the subluxations the mother to be can expect a decrease in pain and discomfort. Once out of pain she can start dealing with the other aspects of her pregnancy. A problem arises when you cannot differentiate between what type of pain you are in. This requires good common sense. Not all back pain during pregnancy is back related. If there is any bleeding or spotting I don’t want you to call a chiropractor. we are not equipped to handle bleeding. You should be aware that a miscarriage can be preceded by mild lower back pain. It may come on as a mensttural type of cramp only slightly worse. This will tend to happen in the first thirteen weeks of pregnanacy. You should get checked out by your OB first before seeing a chiropractor during you rpregnancy. This will put everyone at ease.
Ectopic pregnancy is can cause pain in the low back and pelvic area. Ectopic pregnancy occurs when a fertilized egg attaches somewhere other than into the uterine wall.A pregnant woman may have several warning signs of a rupturing ectopic pregnancy, including pain in the pelvis, abdomen and lower back. Some symptoms of ectopic pregnancy you might not be aware of if is if a woman develops pain in the shoulder and neck and becomes dizzy. These are signs of a medical emergency and requires immediate medical attention at a hospital. No one should ever see a chiropractor for an ectopic pregnancy.
Hormones can cause lower back pain during pregnancy. The hormone called relaxin helps make a woman’s ligaments relax for delivery. When this hormone starts surging through a woman’s body, she can experience back pain from joints in the body becoming too flexible. The added flexibility allows bones to subluxate more easily. When the pelvis subluxates the base for the spine becomes lax. The laxity allows the lumbar vertebra to move around and go out of place. This is another way to say it subluxates.
Muscle separation is another possible cause of back pain during pregnancy. As the uterus expands, two parallel sheets of muscles (the rectal abdominis muscles), which run from the rib cage to the pubic bone, may separate along the center seam. This separation may worsen back pain. As the baby develops and the mother’s belly gets bigger the added weight can cause back pain. The spine has to support that weight. That can cause lower back pain. The weight of the growing baby and uterus also puts pressure on the blood vessels and nerves in the pelvis and back. All this means possible pain for the expecting mother.
Back pain is serious pain complicated by pregnancy. A competent chiropractor can mitigate the pain. This will make for a more comfortable mother, a less stressed baby, and an easier delivery. The role of the chiropractor is after the Ob/Gyn delivering the baby and the primary care doctor. I urge you to ask your primary doctor and your Ob/Gyn if you can see a chiropractor for your back pain while pregnant. Together everyone achieves more. We all want the best for you and your baby.
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