Back pain during pregnancy is a common complaint. It’s usually related to the physical changes that occur in the body as it prepares itself for labour and accommodates your growing baby. Unfortunately, back pain tends to get worse over the course of a pregnancy. A recent systematic review found that the global prevalence of back pain in the first trimester of pregnancy is 28.3%, in the second trimester is 36.8%, and 47.8% in the third trimester.
At Sundial Clinic, we give pregnancy-related back pain the specialist treatment it deserves.
Lots of women experience aches and pains when pregnant but not necessarily because they are pregnant. Chiropractic treatment can be extremely beneficial.
Physical Changes In The Body Can Cause or Worsen Back Pain
During pregnancy, your back and joints respond to the release of a hormone called relaxin. This causes the joints to relax to accommodate growth of the baby and ease labour. Sometimes the ligaments become too relaxed as a result and this structural instability makes walking, standing and moving generally painful. The abdominal muscles weaken as well, while the curve in the lower back becomes accentuated. All of this contributes to the likelihood of developing back pain.
Although weight gain is a healthy and necessary part of pregnancy, it can put more pressure on your joints and make everyday activities more difficult. This added discomfort can make it harder to get a good night’s sleep, so this sense of fatigue can make existing back pain feel worse.
Chiropractic Treatment Can Help Relieve Pain and Nausea and Reflux
Chiropractic treatment during pregnancy leads to better back pain outcomes after childbirth. Chiropractors are trained to work with pregnant women. It can help with:
- Pain – by adjusting the spine, muscles, joints and ligaments, chiropractic treatment relieves joints and improves function of the pelvic region.
- Positioning of the baby – the chiropractor doesn’t turn the baby, of course, but ensures that the patient’s spine and pelvis are gently adjusted to provide the optimal environment for the growing foetus.
- Labour – getting the right chiropractic care during pregnancy can reduce the length of labour by up to 24%.
- Nausea – spinal adjustments improves the function and this may help with nausea in pregnancy.
- Acid-reflux – also called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) also may respond well.
If you’re worried about back pain during pregnancy, book in for a check up with us.
References:
Effectiveness of Manual Treatment on Pregnancy Symptoms: Usefulness of Manual Treatment in Treating Pregnancy Symptoms – PMC
‘How Chiropractic Care Can Promote A Healthy Pregnancy’, Henry Ford Health, Nov 2020, https://www.henryford.com/blog/2020/11/how-chiropractic-care-can-promote-healthy-pregnancy
‘Pregnancy Care’, Harbone Chiropractic, https://harbornechiropractic.co.uk/pregnancy-care/