Pregnancy

Healthy Pregnancy With Chiropractic Treatment

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Pregnancy is an exciting time in a woman’s life. A healthy pregnancy is the objective, and therefore, essential to maintain a healthy diet and stay physically active. However, it can be easy to forget about the strain that pregnancy places on the body and push through the aches and pain with everything going on. Specifically the spine and pelvis. During pregnancy, the body goes through various changes to accommodate the growing baby. When pregnant, a hormone known as relaxin is released. This relaxes the joints for labor and delivery. Sometimes the ligaments can become too loose that they become structurally unstable. This causes pain. Other factors that can lead to spine misalignment and pain:

  • 25 – 30 lbs of added weight and pressure on the spine, pelvis, legs, feet.
  • Weakened abdominal muscles.
  • Lower back curvature becomes more prominent.

Pregnant women going through discomfort/pain can benefit from chiropractic pregnancy adjustments. These maintain spinal alignment while keeping the baby safe. Chiropractors are trained to treat pregnant women; however, there is additional certification to specialize in this area. A prenatal chiropractor also provides information on:

  • Preparing the body for labor and birth
  • Maintaining healthy posture
  • Ensure the body is properly aligned throughout the pregnancy.
  • Diet
  • Health coaching
  • Postpartum care

Chiropractic Benefits For A Healthy Pregnancy

The obvious benefits include back pain relief, quality of life improvement, and reducing the need for pain medications. Other benefits include:

  • Alleviates sciatic nerve pain
  • Helps to control urinary incontinence
  • Reduces pregnancy-related nausea
  • Aligns the pelvis for optimal delivery
  • Reduces labor and delivery time

There is little risk associated with prenatal chiropractic care. However, it is not recommended for pregnant women with health complications like vaginal bleeding or ectopic pregnancy.

Repositioning

If the baby does not have enough room or is going into a breeched position, a chiropractor will work on the ligaments and muscles in the pelvic region to decrease any intrauterine restrictions. Getting the pelvis aligned will allow for an optimal delivery position. This will help move the head down and give the baby more space. If there is a breech position, it is recommended to see a chiropractor once a week during the eighth and ninth months.

When to Start

After receiving approval from the obstetrician, a woman can see a chiropractor at any stage during pregnancy. Many women start chiropractic in the first trimester. This develops a relationship early and benefits the woman as her body changes throughout the pregnancy.

How Often

Most patients visit a chiropractor once a month during the first trimester. Then they increase the sessions as the pregnancy progresses. Every woman’s pregnancy is different, requiring a personalized/customized treatment plan. The chiropractor will best advise on the frequency of treatment.

Pregnancy Technique

A chiropractor’s job is to manipulate the woman’s spine, joints, and muscles into alignment.

The adjustments utilize gentle pressure. The techniques are adjusted accordingly. Depending on how far along the woman is, as well as musculoskeletal health. For example, they could emphasize focus on the pelvis to reduce stress on the uterus and ligaments for a few sessions. Then shift back to the spine. They will not exert excessive pressure on the abdomen and possibly incorporate specialized equipment specifically for pregnant women.

Sciatica

Symptoms of sciatica are common during pregnancy, typically in the later months. This comes from the added pressure on the sciatic nerve. It can be sharp, burning pain from the hip to the foot. This makes walking, sitting, and sleeping uncomfortable to unbearable. Some women are fortunate enough to experience relief if the baby moves off the sciatic nerve. However, most will need some form of treatment to manage and heal the symptoms. This usually includes:

  • Series of adjustments
  • Hot and cold therapies
  • Stretches

Chiropractic can continue to help after giving birth, providing post-natal care helping the body return to its pre-pregnancy state healthily and optimally.


Body Composition


Diet, Nutrition During Pregnancy

From a nutritional perspective, a high GI diet during pregnancy increases the chances of excessive weight gain and overweight babies. Intake of low-glycemic carbs is associated with weight gain in the normal range. If planning to get pregnant or are pregnant, pay attention to the quality of carb intake for a healthy pregnancy. Health care providers recommend avoiding extreme diets for the first four to six weeks after delivery. This gives the body time to recover and helps to establish a consistent milk supply, as rapid weight loss could interfere with breastfeeding. Before going on a diet or starting an exercise program, check with a healthcare provider to rule out any medical conditions.

References

30 of the Most Surprising (And Alarming) Back Pain Statistics. The Good Body. www.thegoodbody.com/back-pain-statistics/. Last updated May 30, 2017. Accessed September 22, 2017.

Bernard, Maria, and Peter Tuchin. “Chiropractic Management of Pregnancy-Related Lumbopelvic Pain: A Case Study.” Journal of chiropractic medicine vol. 15,2 (2016): 129-33. doi:10.1016/j.jcm.2016.04.003

Gostine M. Is Lower Back Pain Normal During Pregnancy? BabyQ. www.babyq.com/lens/lifestyle/is-lower-back-pain-normal-during-pregnancy/. Published February 4, 2017. Accessed September 22, 2017.

Sabino J, Grauer JN. Pregnancy and low back pain. Curr Rev Musculoskelet Med. 2008; 1(2): 137–141. Published online February 26, 2008. doi: 10.1007/s12178-008-9021-8.

Professional Scope of Practice *

The information herein on "Healthy Pregnancy With Chiropractic Treatment" is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional or licensed physician and is not medical advice. We encourage you to make healthcare decisions based on your research and partnership with a qualified healthcare professional.

Blog Information & Scope Discussions

Our information scope is limited to Chiropractic, musculoskeletal, physical medicines, wellness, contributing etiological viscerosomatic disturbances within clinical presentations, associated somatovisceral reflex clinical dynamics, subluxation complexes, sensitive health issues, and/or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions.

We provide and present clinical collaboration with specialists from various disciplines. Each specialist is governed by their professional scope of practice and their jurisdiction of licensure. We use functional health & wellness protocols to treat and support care for the injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system.

Our videos, posts, topics, subjects, and insights cover clinical matters, issues, and topics that relate to and directly or indirectly support our clinical scope of practice.*

Our office has reasonably attempted to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We provide copies of supporting research studies available to regulatory boards and the public upon request.

We understand that we cover matters that require an additional explanation of how it may assist in a particular care plan or treatment protocol; therefore, to further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez, DC, or contact us at 915-850-0900.

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Blessings

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN*, CCST, IFMCP*, CIFM*, ATN*

email: coach@elpasofunctionalmedicine.com

Licensed as a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC) in Texas & New Mexico*
Texas DC License # TX5807, New Mexico DC License # NM-DC2182

Licensed as a Registered Nurse (RN*) in Florida
Florida License RN License # RN9617241 (Control No. 3558029)
Compact Status: Multi-State License: Authorized to Practice in 40 States*

Presently Matriculated: ICHS: MSN* FNP (Family Nurse Practitioner Program)

Dr. Alex Jimenez DC, MSACP, RN* CIFM*, IFMCP*, ATN*, CCST
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Dr. Alex Jimenez

Specialties: Stopping the PAIN! We Specialize in Treating Severe Sciatica, Neck-Back Pain, Whiplash, Headaches, Knee Injuries, Sports Injuries, Dizziness, Poor Sleep, Arthritis. We use advanced proven therapies focused on optimal Mobility, Posture Control, Deep Health Instruction, Integrative & Functional Medicine, Functional Fitness, Chronic Degenerative Disorder Treatment Protocols, and Structural Conditioning. We also integrate Wellness Nutrition, Wellness Detoxification Protocols and Functional Medicine for chronic musculoskeletal disorders. We use effective "Patient Focused Diet Plans", Specialized Chiropractic Techniques, Mobility-Agility Training, Cross-Fit Protocols, and the Premier "PUSH Functional Fitness System" to treat patients suffering from various injuries and health problems. Ultimately, I am here to serve my patients and community as a Chiropractor passionately restoring functional life and facilitating living through increased mobility. Purpose & Passions: I am a Doctor of Chiropractic specializing in progressive cutting-edge therapies and functional rehabilitation procedures focused on clinical physiology, total health, functional strength training, functional medicine, and complete conditioning. We focus on restoring normal body functions after neck, back, spinal and soft tissue injuries. We use Specialized Chiropractic Protocols, Wellness Programs, Functional & Integrative Nutrition, Agility & Mobility Fitness Training and Cross-Fit Rehabilitation Systems for all ages. As an extension to dynamic rehabilitation, we too offer our patients, disabled veterans, athletes, young and elder a diverse portfolio of strength equipment, high-performance exercises and advanced agility treatment options. We have teamed up with the cities' premier doctors, therapist and trainers in order to provide high-level competitive athletes the options to push themselves to their highest abilities within our facilities. We've been blessed to use our methods with thousands of El Pasoans over the last 3 decades allowing us to restore our patients' health and fitness while implementing researched non-surgical methods and functional wellness programs. Our programs are natural and use the body's ability to achieve specific measured goals, rather than introducing harmful chemicals, controversial hormone replacement, un-wanted surgeries, or addictive drugs. We want you to live a functional life that is fulfilled with more energy, a positive attitude, better sleep, and less pain. Our goal is to ultimately empower our patients to maintain the healthiest way of living. With a bit of work, we can achieve optimal health together, no matter the age, ability or disability.

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