Can Chiropractic Treatments Help with Pregnancy and Postpartum Recovery?

Pregnancy can be an amazing experience, giving birth a miracle. But ask any woman who has gone through the experience and she will likely confirm that the aftermath of pregnancy and birth take a definite toll on the body.

For most women, pregnancy usually means headaches, back pain, swelling, and insomnia, all taking its toll and right before the total exertion the body goes through giving birth. Many women think that they just have to deal with the aftermaths, hoping their bodies will heal soon. What they don’t realize is that chiropractic treatment can help immensely during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

Pregnancy

A woman’s body goes through massive changes during pregnancy. Some of these changes can cause the misalignment of both the spine and joints. As the baby grows, the abdomen gets larger and larger, which can cause an increased curve in the back, as well as other adaptations because the growing baby is causing the mother to adjust her posture.

There are also pelvic changes which can cause these misalignments. A misaligned pelvis can reduce the space the baby has to grow in. It can also make it more difficult for the baby to get into the birthing position for delivery. This increases the risk of a posterior or breech birth which can lead to a Caesarian section delivery.

A chiropractor can help keep the pregnant woman’s joints aligned, reducing the above risks.

Postpartum Recovery

Pregnancy and giving birth pushes the hips, pelvis, and spine out of alignment. Chiropractic adjustments can help put everything back to where it should be and help speed up the postpartum recovery process.

In addition to postpartum issues, new mothers often also suffer from issues with their posture due to the little one they carried inside them for nine months. Now, they are carrying that little one and cuddling, holding, feeding, and rocking. There is also a lot of lifting – lifting the baby from the crib, car seat, changing table, swing, and carriage. All of these movements can cause back, neck, and shoulder pain. A chiropractor can help with these issues, maintaining posture and helping to avoid restrictions of the joints.

Something else happens to a woman’s body during pregnancy that you may not realize. Pregnancy causes the body to produce hormones which allow the body to expand and grow during the pregnancy to accommodate and protect that life growing inside. Ligaments and joints stretch in ways they never could without those pregnancy hormones.

But now that the pregnancy is over and the hormones have subsided, ligaments no longer need to stretch like they did during those nine months. The pelvis can then become unstable, causing the new mother to feel even more fatigued than having a new baby does, as well as make it difficult for the mother to get around. A chiropractor Gaithersburg trusts can offer treatments that will help your body heal and get back to where it physically should be.

Thank you to our friends and contributors at the Pain Arthritis Relief Center for their insight into chiropractic practices.