Pain During Pregnancy?
Pain during pregnancy is common. In fact about 50% of pregnant women will experience it. It is usually most noticeable in the lower back and pelvis.
During pregnancy, the spine and pelvis will shift and change to accommodate for the growing baby. The increased weight will increase your natural forward bend, which leads to changes in posture. To reverse the more forward bend, most start to lean backwards putting an extra strain on lower back muscles causing pain and soreness.
During pregnancy, a hormone called Relaxin is produced to support the stretching of the tendons and ligaments. This causes the structure of the pelvis to be more prone to structural shifts. These structural shifts in the pelvis may make it difficult for the baby to get in the best possible position for birth.
Chiropractic care during pregnancy may be beneficial. Webster Technique is a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment that reduces interference to the nerve system and facilitates biomechanical balance in pelvic structures, muscles and ligaments.
If the mother has sacral and/or pelvic misalignments these could be altering the space in the pelvis and if corrected may allow the fetus to assume a more normal position. Sacral subluxation may contribute to difficult labor for the mother (i.e., dystocia). Dystocia is caused by inadequate uterine function, pelvic contraction, and baby malpresentation. The correction of sacral misalignment may have a positive effect on all of these causes of dystocia.
In this clinical framework, it is proposed that sacral misalignment may contribute to these three primary causes of dystocia via uterine nerve interference, pelvic misalignment and the tightening and torsion of specific pelvic muscles and ligaments.
The resulting tense muscles and ligaments and their aberrant effect on the uterus may prevent the baby from comfortably assuming the best possible position for birth.
According to researchers the nervous system controls and coordinates all functions of the body and structural shifts in the spine can occur that obstruct the nerves and interfere with their function. By removing the structural shifts, chiropractic improves nerve supply and function.
Chiropractic Helps Breech Pregnancy
The 30-year-old woman in this case was 39 weeks pregnant. She was having discomfort and the fetus was in the breech position. Her doctor offered to turn the baby using external cephalic version, but she declined after learning the risks.
The chiropractor examined her and found spinal structural shifts in her pelvis and sacrum. She also had tender points along her round ligament. These structural shifts can lead to obstruction of the nerves and it is this obstruction, that chiropractors correct.
Following chiropractic care she experienced a lot of movement in her belly and an ultrasound confirmed the baby was no longer in the breech position. She avoided a cesarean section and gave birth vaginally with no complications.
Reference
Resolution of Breech Presentation Confirmed by Ultrasound Following the Use of Webster Technique: A Case Report. Nicole Poirier, DC & Corinne Loranger, DC. Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health, Chiropractic ~ Volume, 2021