Prenatal Chiropractic Care
The miracle of motherhood is often accompanied by its own unique physical challenges. If you’re pregnant and have back pain, you’re not alone. Most pregnant women experience back pain as their baby grows. From backaches to headaches, carrying a baby can put a lot of strain on a woman’s body. Occasional discomfort often escalates as the months pass and a soon to be mom may quickly find herself seeking pregnancy pain relief.
Pregnancy & Chiropractic
The doctors at Integrated Physical Medicine are the Evansville chiropractors of choice for caring for women during this important and exciting time of transition. Integrated Physical Medicine offers pregnancy massage, craniosacral therapy for both moms and babies, prenatal chiropractic care and even help with breech babies. Also, postpartum chiropractic care is offered for both the mother and baby for the inevitable muscle and joint problems that develop during the delivery process.
In order to make the adjustments and massages more comfortable and accessible during pregnancy, our doctors use special tables designed for the unique physique of pregnancy. These special tables and cushions allow even full term women the opportunity to lay face down in total comfort during their treatments.
For our pregnant patients, we utilize the Webster protocols and technique, a pregnancy-specific form of chiropractic care that, when combined with traditional medical prenatal care, has shown to:
- lower the risk of premature births,
- provide pregnancy back pain relief,
- decrease the pain experienced during labor and delivery and
- shorten the labor and delivery times.
“We are recommending you to all pregnant women! My labor was half as long and I only had to push through five contractions, less than ten minutes! I am so thankful that God blessed me through your expertise!”
– Jessica Stutzman
Pregnancy Back Pain
Most women experience back, neck and/or shoulder pain at some point during their pregnancy. This can be blamed on two factors:
- A combination of hormonal shifts which soften the ligaments allowing bones, particularly those in the spine and pelvis, to shift out of place
- The increased weight in the front of the body causes postural changes and increased loads on the spine, both of which strain muscles and lead to further shifting of the vertebrae and pelvis.
We understand why you do not wish to expose your unborn child to any unnecessary and potentially harmful drugs to mask these symptoms. Our holistic approach to treating this pregnancy back pain is very safe and totally natural using no artificial drugs nor requiring any needle injections.
Along with expert pregnancy chiropractic care, an experienced and well-trained massage therapist is often part of the care team. They will comfortably eliminate any muscle spasms that may be contributing to the pregnancy back pain. The combination of chiropractic and massage therapy restores function and leaves the body feeling pain-free and more flexible. There is truly no need to suffer.
Round Ligament pain is another common cause of discomfort for pregnant women. We cover this topic in detail on this page: Chiropractic Care and Round Ligament Pain.
Breech Baby
Breech presentation can be a scary proposition for any mom. Using the Webster Technique, our chiropractors can prevent and even reverse breech positions by increasing room for the baby and the uterus. A study published in The Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics showed an 82% success rate for turning breech babies to vertex when doctors of chiropractic used the Webster Technique. The study suggests that women carrying their babies breech may benefit from this approach as early as their 8th month of pregnancy. With the Webster Technique, the pelvis is aligned and the ligaments are relaxed so that mother and baby have the most possible room. This encourages a breech baby to shift to the optimum birth position and enhances the comfort of an already properly positioned baby. In particularly stubborn cases, acupuncture is employed to turn the breech baby.
We encourage our pregnant patients to receive weekly treatments during their pregnancies to ensure maximum benefit for the Mom and baby from our chiropractors’ care. Also, please see our blog post “Three Diet Rules for a Safe Pregnancy and a Healthy Delivery”.
Managing Pregnancy Pain Naturally
Most people don’t want to undergo surgery or have to take pain medications unnecessarily. When you’re pregnant the health concerns of invasive procedures or potentially harmful medications extend beyond yourself to the well-being of your growing little one. Many expectant mothers are so focused on the baby on the way that they will forget to address their mental, emotional, and physical needs. Relieving your own pain and stress is not only good for you, it can mean a healthier, happier pregnancy and family too.
With over 15 years of chiropractic experience and five little ones of his own, Dr. Mitz has studied and aided in resolving a wide array of pregnancy pain. Through prenatal chiropractic care, our doctors help pregnant women find relief from the all too common pains of pregnancy so they can focus on the joy of her new baby.
