Pregnancy From A Chiropractic Perspective
Aside from your doctor, there are a number of other health practitioners that can be extremely helpful during pregnancy, but many of them are lesser known. Chiropractic care is one of these specialties. This guest post comes to you from Ottawa Chiropractor, Dr. Melissa Baird who practices at CURAVITA Health Group (the Glebe location).
Pregnancy can be such an exciting and happy time. But there are also lots of changes that women's bodies go through while building and housing a baby. It’s a lot of work! When we see women coming in for the first time for chiropractic care during their pregnancy, it is often for low back pain, sciatica type symptoms or neck and upper back pain. So let’s look at some of the key things which happen during pregnancy which may contribute to your discomfort and then things you can do to alleviate some of those symptoms.
Weight gain: The average healthy weight gain is around 30 lbs. This could certainly be more or less depending on a variety of factors such as general health, level of nausea, activity level etc. The change in weight can add a little extra stress and strain on your body. Thankfully this gain is a gradual process so our bodies have a chance to adapt to the weight. With the weight being primarily focused on the belly area, it has an affect on our biomechanics and load placed on our muscles and joints.
Muscular changes: Our abs stretch and stretch and stretch. This lessens some of the support that we have. Glutes tend to become a little tighter and weaker in a lot of the women I see in practice. So all those lunges and squats you do in FITMOM 2B classes really ARE good for you! When our glutes become tight coupled with loss of support from our abdomen muscles, it’s a recipe for back pain.
Hormonal changes: The fluctuations during pregnancy can leave us experiencing some emotional ups and downs and sleepless nights, but that’s what allows our body to make the changes that are needed to maintain a pregnancy. The hormone Relaxin, for example, is produced by the body to loosen the joints and ligaments in preparation for a growing baby and childbirth. This combined with weight increases and changes in posture, may contribute to discomfort.
What can you do?
Exercise is certainly a big part of maintaining strength during pregnancy and helping to support your body with the changes it is facing. Programs like FITMOM are great for incorporating exercises which are safe during pregnancy. If you have a complicated pregnancy or other underlying health issues, it’s always wise to make your primary healthcare provider (your family physician, OB or midwife) aware of what exercise program you’re planning to participate in.
Therapies
Therapies such as chiropractic care, physiotherapy and registered massage therapy can be tremendously helpful to many women experiencing pain and discomfort during pregnancy. Chiropractors focus on improving the biomechanics of the spine and pelvis which can affect surrounding nerves and muscles. Patients often report reduced back and pelvic pain when seeing a chiropractor. We can also recommend exercises to help rehabilitate postural changes or we can recommend safe and effective exercises and stretches to help prepare your body for the baby’s delivery. Chiropractors can also help you work toward a recovery by addressing post-natal biomechanical complaints and rehabilitation.
Some of my favourite exercises during pregnancy are focused mobility and stability.
Here are my top FIVE:
Anterior and posterior pelvic tilt while lying down. You can also do this motion on an exercise ball
Side to side pelvic motion either lying down or when sitting on an exercise ball
Cat - cow
Glute strengthening with lunges, squats and/or bridges
Child’s pose during early pregnancy. You can modify it during later pregnancy to support your head and chest with a pillow if comfortable to do so.
The biggest factor with respect to exercise is to do what you can, when you can. Some days you might just not feel up to it or certain exercises may not be appropriate to your particular care. If you are experiencing pain and discomfort which is concerning to you, always talk to your health care provider and reach out to your Chiropractor, Physiotherapist and Registered Massage Therapist for help.
Dr. Melissa Baird is a Chiropractor at CURAVITA Health Group (Glebe location). She can be reached at (613) 237-9000. More information can be found at www.curavita.com or by following CURAVITA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.