Pregnancy Aches and Pains
Pain in the spine is one of the most common reasons why pregnant moms visit a chiropractor.
Your body has been changing so rapidly during this time of your life! For over nine months, your body grows, expands, accommodates and nurtures this beautiful new life growing inside you! Unfortunately, this rapid growth can come with aches and pains!
Anatomy
As your baby grows and you gain weight around your abdomen, the lumbar spine is pulled forward, which can cause discomfort. Additionally, the hormone, relaxin is released. This hormone relaxes the ligaments of the body to allow the baby to grow. It also exaccerbate or exaggerate a spinal problem that may have already existed.
Your breast size will begin to increase as you get further into your pregnancy. This increase, as well as the expansion of your rib cage to accomodate the baby, may cause pain in your upper back or neck as well.
Subluxations Interfere With Your Body’s Ability to Heal
As chiropractors, we look at the spine because it houses your nervous system. Your spinal cord comes off your brain and travels all the way down your back. The bones of your back, called vertebrae, wrap around the spinal cord to protect it. Coming off the spinal cord and running in between the vertebrae are nerves. These nerves go to every cell in your body and they coordinate everything that your body does. It’s pretty much the computer system of your body.
What can happen with falls, accidents, emotional trauma, or, of course, pregnancy the bones of the spine can come out of alignment. When the vertebrae come out of alignment that put pressure on the nerves exiting the spinal cord. When the nerves have pressure put on them, they don’t work the way they should. We call these misalignments of the spine, subluxations.
You Can Heal!
Luckily, chiropractors are the only doctors trained to locate, analyze and correct subluxations. Once these subluxations are corrected, the body is able to function and heal the way it knows how! Dr. Dan and Dr. Kris received additional advanced training through the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) for taking care of pregnant patients! With pregnancy, we have found that prevention is the best medicine. Getting your spine checked on a regular basis helps keep the vertebra in proper alignment, and help you enjoy this time in your life!