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Although pregnancy brings much joy into your life, it does include some temporary changes to your body that aren’t always pleasant. What if you could do something about that? Chiropractic care can help manage the effects those natural changes have on your joints, spinal alignment, and overall well-being.
Pamela V. Ford, DC, at Serenity Chiropractic & Family Wellness Center in Carrollton, Texas, offers her community outstanding chiropractic care for neck pain, scoliosis, sciatica, and headaches. She's also skilled in physical therapy and specializes in chiropractic care during pregnancy.
Dr. Ford and our staff are well-known for their commitment to helping you maintain optimal health at all stages of life. In this blog post, we’d like to share how chiropractic care helps promote a healthy, more comfortable pregnancy.
The spine is a complex network of bones, joints, nerves, ligaments, and tendons that act as your body’s central support structure. It allows you to sit, stand, bend, and walk. It also houses the nerves that branch away from the spinal cord, carrying messages from your brain to the rest of your body regarding movement, sensation, digestion, and other body functions.
This vital spinal network operates in a relatively small space that relies heavily on proper alignment to accomplish its job. For instance, poor posture while working at your desk can pull the cervical spine (neck) out of alignment. Long-term, this can lead to neck muscle imbalances, increased risk of spinal degeneration, and painful nerve impingement.
Routine chiropractic care reduces spinal nerve stress by maintaining proper alignment of the spine's joints and other skeletal structures. In addition, the muscles, tendons, and ligaments that support the spine also benefit from chiropractic care, reducing the aches and pains that occur when these soft tissue structures try to compensate for a misaligned spine.
Along with all the hormonal and metabolic changes that occur during pregnancy, your posture also shifts as the baby grows. These postural changes, combined with the additional weight of the pregnancy, are common causes of spinal misalignment that leads to neck, back, and hip pain. For instance, a protruding abdomen increases the curvature of the lower (lumbar) spine, resulting in back pain and an increased risk of sciatica, a common complaint during pregnancy.
Spinal misalignment also interferes with natural changes in the pelvis that occur in preparation for labor and delivery. Most people undergoing chiropractic care during pregnancy report decreased joint and back pain, leading to a more comfortable pregnancy.
Restoring alignment to the spine and pelvis also decreases your risk of intrauterine constraint. This condition can affect a baby’s movement within the womb. For example, a misaligned pelvis may impede your baby’s ability to move into a rear-facing, head-down position for birth. Chiropractic care during pregnancy can reduce these effects and often leads to a quicker and less complicated delivery.
You can also expect your visit to Serenity Chiropractic & Family Wellness Center to be a relaxing experience designed to relieve tension and stress, which is especially beneficial during pregnancy.
Dr. Ford starts with a thorough evaluation, a detailed discussion of your symptoms, and information about what to expect during your visits. She may also request information from your obstetrician regarding your pregnancy.
However, chiropractic care is considered safe throughout pregnancy, even well into the eighth month. Tables adapt to fit your expanding abdomen; adjustments are effective but gentle enough for your pregnancy stage; and your visit often includes a soothing, restorative massage.
Schedule a visit today with Dr. Ford at Serenity Chiropractic & Family Wellness Center. Call our office or request an appointment online.
