Prenatal Postpartum Chiropractic Care

The body experiences a number of dramatic and rapid changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period. It’s no wonder patients experience a myriad of new pains and pressures in the back, hips, and joints, among other places.

Prenatal chiropractic care can help address many pregnancy-related aches and pains, as well as other symptoms such as nausea, by achieving alignment in the spine, hips, and pelvis and improving overall nervous system function.

Using specialized techniques and equipment tailored for pregnant patients and postpartum care, prenatal chiropractic manipulations are extremely gentle and focus on key areas related to pelvic alignment.

The sacrum is a triangular bone situated between the hip bones with multiple manipulations in the pelvic area. Proper alignment in this region helps with low back pain by ensuring strength and stability for supporting the weight of both baby and mother.

The piriformis muscles at the base of the spine attach the sacrum to the top of the femur.  During pregnancy, tightness in this area causes pain that radiates through the glutes and, if the sciatic nerve is trapped, down the leg.

The round ligaments support the uterus and connect it to the lower abdominal wall through the groin.  Because these ligaments have actual muscle fibers in them, pressure from the pregnant belly can cause a feeling similar to muscle spasms in the lower abdomen.

The psoas muscle begins at the lumbar spine (low back,) wraps around the body, and attaches to the top of the femur.  If these muscles get tight, it can cause the pelvis to tilt in one direction or the other.

Another primary focus of prenatal chiropractic care is patient posture. When pregnant, individuals tend to adopt a forward-leaning neck/head posture as a way to maintain balance in their changing bodies. The result is often a combination of tight neck, shoulder, and chest muscles that pull on the spine.  Chiropractic adjustments, chest-opening exercises and stretches, and back-strengthening work can relieve pain during pregnancy and help regain alignment postpartum.

Gentle chiropractic manipulations of the sacrum and myofascial release of associated ligaments and tissue structures can relieve many pregnancy-related aches and pains, as well as any preexisting conditions a patient may have that could be making these stages of life more uncomfortable.

In addition, labor and delivery after regular chiropractic care are often shorter and easier since an aligned pelvis allows more room for the baby to have proper positioning in the uterus.

During the postpartum recovery phase, chiropractic care offers more ongoing benefits:

• Specially modified chiropractic adjustments and myofascial massage to help the back, hips, and pelvis recover from pregnancy and the birthing process.

• Body mechanic analysis to ease the transition from carrying a baby on the inside to carrying a baby on the outside, where weight tends to be distributed more unilaterally (on one side of the body or the other.)

• Evaluations on posture during feeding times or when carrying a baby (and baby’s accouterment) to prevent pain in the back, neck, and shoulders.

Chiropractic care can address a variety of pregnancy-related issues and help achieve many postpartum recovery goals. It is safe to initiate treatment at the earliest stages of pregnancy, so contact DTX Sports Medicine today to discuss how chiropractic care can help you.