How do we adjust pregnant women?
Pregnancy brings remarkable changes to a woman's body, and with these changes can come new aches and discomforts. Many pregnant women seek chiropractic care to help manage these physical shifts and support overall well-being. But what exactly happens when you see a chiropractor while you're pregnant? Let's explore the process.
Initial Consultation and Ongoing Care
When you first see a chiropractor during pregnancy, the process begins with a thorough health history and physical examination. This helps your chiropractor understand your specific needs, any pre-existing conditions, and how your body is adapting to pregnancy. If you're already an established patient, your chiropractor will be familiar with your history and will continue to tailor their care to your changing body throughout each stage of your pregnancy. The goal is always to provide safe and effective adjustments that support your comfort and spinal health as your body evolves.
Accommodating Your Growing Belly
As your pregnancy progresses, lying comfortably on your stomach can become challenging. To ensure your comfort and allow for effective adjustments, chiropractors often use a special "pregnancy pillow" or "belly pillow." This innovative pillow cradles your pregnant belly, enabling you to lie face down comfortably and safely. This way, your chiropractor can continue to assess and adjust your spine in the prone position, which is often the most effective for certain adjustments.
Gentle and Tailored Techniques
Chiropractors utilize a variety of gentle adjusting techniques to suit your individual needs and the stage of your pregnancy. These may include:
Diversified Technique: A widely used method involving specific, gentle thrusts.
Thompson-Drop Technique: Employs a specially designed table with "drop" sections that allow for a lighter adjustment.
Gonstead Technique: A very specific approach to locating and correcting spinal misalignments.
Handheld Instruments: Tools like the Activator can deliver precise, low-force adjustments.
Most chiropractors will combine these techniques as needed, ensuring your comfort and the effectiveness of the treatment throughout your pregnancy journey.
Webster Technique: A Pregnancy-Specific Approach
All our chiropractors are trained in the Webster Technique, a specialized chiropractic analysis and adjustment system for pregnant women. This technique focuses on correcting any dysfunction in the sacrum (the triangular bone at the base of your spine). By restoring proper function to this area, the technique aims to improve the neuro-biomechanical function of the pelvis. It is often followed by a gentle release of tension in the round ligament, which is a ligament that supports the uterus. The Webster Technique is widely used to help optimize pelvic function during pregnancy.
Your Personalized Care Plan
The frequency of your chiropractic visits will be determined by your chiropractor, who will develop a specific care plan tailored to your presentation and individual needs. This plan varies significantly from person to person and is based on a comprehensive assessment.
Ideally, the best time to begin chiropractic care is before you become pregnant or as early as possible in your pregnancy. This allows for any existing spinal joint dysfunction to be addressed proactively, helping you experience the greatest benefits of chiropractic care throughout your pregnancy and prepare your body for childbirth.