Pregnancy is a special time for expecting mothers and their families. During this time, mothers should be aware of the potential dangers of certain treatments, including chiropractic care. While chiropractic care may be an effective form of treatment for some individuals, it can be risky during pregnancy. Chiropractic care during pregnancy has potential risks to both the mother and the unborn baby. It is important for expecting mothers to discuss the potential risks of chiropractic care with their healthcare providers before starting any treatment. In this blog post, we will discuss the potential dangers of chiropractic care during pregnancy and how to minimize these risks. We will provide insight into what to consider when deciding whether or not to pursue chiropractic care during pregnancy. We will also provide information on alternatives to chiropractic care during pregnancy.
When to Start Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy
Although many people already regularly see a chiropractor while they’re trying to get pregnant, you can begin chiropractic care as soon as your pregnancy is confirmed and your obstetrician approves treatment. As soon as you experience discomfort, consult your OB-GYN before calling your chiropractor to schedule an appointment. Don’t wait until the pain becomes intolerable; the sooner you seek assistance, the sooner you can manipulate your body into a more advantageous position and enhance your daily activities.
Even if you haven’t seen a chiropractor for the majority of your pregnancy, you can still do so before giving birth. Maybe you felt great for eight months, but now that your due date is getting closer, you realize your baby still hasn’t turned into the correct head-down position. Maybe you just need a little relief now that you’re getting close. Reach out and request an evaluation from your chiropractor to see how they can assist.
Thrombophilias are hypercoagulable disorders that encourage thrombosis [36] Compared to the non-pregnant state, the risk of thrombophilia increases during pregnancy and after childbirth [36, 37]. The most common reason for maternal death in the United States is thromboembolism, also known as a pulmonary embolism [36, 37]. The Virchow’s triad, also known as venous stasis, changes in the vessel wall, and changes in blood composition, can all contribute to these hypercoagulable disorders during pregnancy [36].
It is acknowledged that women are more prone than men to developing joint laxity [26–28]. In order to explain this rise in female joint laxity, hormonal causes have been proposed [29–32]. One of the hormones involved is relaxin, a polypeptide produced by the corpus luteum during pregnancy [32]. Relaxin has been linked to a decrease in soft tissue tension, particularly in preparing the female body for delivery, including relaxing the pelvic ligaments, inhibiting spontaneous uterine contractions, ripening of the uterine cervix, and stimulating the mammary glands [33]. Relaxin is necessary in the pregnant female in order to secure the passage of the fetus during parturition in several animal species [34]. Although relaxin increases symphysis pubis laxity in anticipation of childbirth, its effects extend beyond that joint. Additionally, it’s believed that women who have just given birth also have this hormone-mediated ligament laxity, which could lessen the intervertebral articulations’ protective stability [35].
A common occurrence during pregnancy and the postpartum period is musculoskeletal pain. For example, low back pain has been reported to occur as frequently as 50% to 85% of pregnant women [1%E2%80%934] and at two to three years postpartum, eight to 20% of these women still report persistent symptoms [5, 6] Although low back pain during pregnancy is frequently accepted as an unavoidable complaint, for some women the pain can be crippling, interfering with sleep, work, and daily activities [7, 8]. However, the etiology of this pain is unknown [9]. There have been theories that low back pain experienced during pregnancy is multifactorial in nature. Some of the suggested mechanisms include, but are not limited to, the influence of altered circulating relaxin levels producing ligamentous laxity [7, 10], maternal weight gain, and/or biomechanical changes due to pregnancy [7].
One of the authors (KS) created a data extraction sheet, and each included article’s pertinent data was input into it. Although any case reports included in the review were not rated for quality because there is no applicable SIGN tool for case reports, the quality of the included articles was assessed using the appropriate Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) tools. ” ” indicates the highest level of methodological quality for that study type, fulfilling all or most of the internal validity criteria for that specific study type, ” ” indicates some criteria were fulfilled, and “-” indicates that few or none of the criteria were satisfied. Using the appropriate SIGN tool, two of the authors (KS and SW) rated the articles. To avoid any potential bias, the other two authors (SW and CAW) rated the article because one of the authors (KS) had contributed to one of the systematic reviews. Where reviewers disagreed, consensus was achieved by discussion.
Only a small number of cases of negative outcomes from spinal manipulation during pregnancy and the postpartum period have been documented in the literature. Even though better reporting of such incidents is needed in the future, it’s possible that such injuries aren’t all that common.
A pregnant woman in her early 30s from Portland, Oregon, experienced crippling pain in the area of her pubic bone for several months.
Some acupuncture techniques, according to the Mayo Clinic, “are thought to stimulate labor, which could result in a premature delivery.” But acupuncture is safe for expecting mothers, according to research reported in the journal Acupuncture Medicine in 2015 According to the study, two published systematic reviews found no evidence of “miscarriage, preterm deliveries, or other obstetric complications” linked to acupuncture. Massage can also be helpful. Whichever strategy you opt for, find a doctor who has experience treating pregnant women.
4. Consider acupuncture and massage. According to Terrell, pregnant women should think about acupuncture, acupressure, and massage in addition to creating a stretching and exercise routine. These kinds of therapies cause the body to release analgesic chemicals similar to chiropractic adjustments. In the traditional Chinese medical procedure known as acupuncture, tiny needles are inserted into various body points. Research suggests it can help blunt chronic pain. According to the Acupuncture Massage College in Miami, acupressure is a “specific type of massage that relies primarily on using the thumbs, fingers, and palms to apply pressure to various points on the body” without using needles. According to Terrell, “pregnancy-related pains and early-pregnancy-related nausea and vomiting can both benefit from acupuncture and acupressure.”
It worked. According to Brocker, president of the pediatrics council of the American Chiropractic Association, “the pain was completely resolved.”
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