Back Pain and Pregnancy
Studies estimate that nearly 40 per cent to 50 per cent of pregnant women will experience back pain during their pregnancies. That is just about half of all pregnant women! Many of these women suffer without complaint. Others may mention the back pain to their doctors; however, many doctors do not really seem to know what to do about back pain during pregnancy. After all, taking medication is not recommended, as that isn’t safe for the baby. Pregnant back pain sufferers often end up without relief.
There is a way to treat back pain in pregnancy, though—chiropractic care. Back pain and pregnancy do not have to go hand in hand any longer. Pregnant back pain sufferers can instead opt for chiropractic treatment.
Why Back Pain is Prevalent in Pregnancy
Many women have problems because they are off balance. During pregnancy, the uterus is pulling out in front and isn’t balanced in back. The fast weight gain a woman has as a result of being pregnant is not evenly distributed throughout her body, which causes her to be off balance as well. Additionally, all of the hormones that swirl through a woman’s body during pregnancy cause her joints to soften. All of these combined—along with the woman trying to get through her everyday life, work to cause a great deal of upper and lower back pain. Women who are pregnant may also have hip pain and sciatica (pain that radiates down from the lower back, through the buttock, and down the leg).
Chiropractic Treatment During Pregnancy
Back pain during pregnancy can be treated through chiropractic methods. All chiropractors are trained in treating pregnant women; however, it typically makes women more comfortable to find a chiropractor with specialized training in pediatrics and pregnancy (the two forms of training are done together).
It is completely safe to get treated by a chiropractor during pregnancy. Chiropractors never use more force on any joint or vertebra than is necessary—whether they are treating a young child, a frail senior citizen, a healthy sports player–or a pregnant woman. Usually, spinal adjustments are quite easy to do on pregnant women because their joints have softened.
Most women start out seeing a chiropractor about once per month during the first trimester. The second trimester will include twice per month visits. After that, visits are usually one time per week.
Pregnant women do not have to tolerate back pain.
