Pregnancy Pains Chiropractor in Eagan MN

Structural changes women experience is one contributing source of low back pain throughout pregnancy. The longer you are pregnant, the more changes occur to the spine. As the belly enlarges, it pulls the spine forward causing additional stress on the discs and sacroiliac joints. The rapid increase in weight gain of 25-35 lbs or more greatly increases the stress on the same joints.

In addition, the increase in circulating progesterone, estrogen, and relaxin (hormones) throughout gestation, especially in the third trimester, brings about ligament instability causing pelvic hypermobility and creates a decrease in spinal stabilization. Basically, your joints get looser leaving you vulnerable to injury.

Any old injuries that your body healed the best it could may have left imbalances in the muscles of the hips and pelvis. When combined with the loose joints and increased stress due to structural changes is a recipe for back pain.

Traction, pressure or stretch of the pelvic floor, bladder, urethra, rectum, and other pelvic structures can also cause referred pain and secondary muscle spasm. This same mechanism contributes to sciatic pain from spasm of the piriformis muscle. Sciatic pain (pain in the buttock from irritation of the sciatic nerve) often improves with chiropractic care.

All of these factors contribute to back pain experienced by the pregnant patient, leading some to seek chiropractic care.

What were the results of chiropractic care?

The data shows that over 50% of pregnant women with back pain were improved at 1 week. The results also improved as chiropractic care continued. The percentage of pregnant women with improvement in their back pain increased to 70% at 1 month, and 85% at 3 months. At 6 months, 90% reported improvement.

Reduced Labor Times with Chiropractic

A retrospective review of statistics reported that first time moms who seek chiropractic care throughout pregnancy have, on average, a 25% shorter labor time whereas multiparous women (women who have had at least one other baby) who seek chiropractic care throughout their pregnancy have, on average, 31% shorter labor times.

We see this in our office frequently. When moms are adjusted throughout pregnancy, they are able to labor more efficiently and it’s not uncommon to have labors of 5 hours or less (of course there is no guarantee of this).

If you would like to schedule an appointment contact us today at our convenient location in Eagan MN. Our Staff at Care Chiropractic is here to help.