What Causes Back and Leg Pain During Pregnancy?
During pregnancy, there is an increase of breast tissue that causes the shoulders to round forward, placing pressure on the neck and upper back. The rapid development of the baby and the rotation of the pelvis down in the front cause the muscles of the lower back to become short and tight. These changes in the body increase pressure on the pain sensitive joints of the middle and lower back and can pinch on nerves, which can cause pain, tingling and numbness in the back and legs. In addition, the body releases relaxin, a hormone that causes the ligaments that stabilize the joints of the pelvis and lower back to become relaxed. This helps prepare you for delivery, but can also cause a malposition of the bones in the spine and irritate nerves.
What Can I Do to Ease the Discomforts of Pregnancy?
Chiropractic care can help make this special time in a woman's life as enjoyable as it was meant to be. Besides helping to relieve the discomforts many expectant mothers experience, chiropractic care helps normalize nervous system function. Through regular chiropractic treatments, back and/or leg pain can be controlled or eliminated during pregnancy. In addition, patients report their deliveries were faster and more comfortable than their deliveries prior to chiropractic!
Is Chiropractic Care Safe for Me and My Baby?
The safety of chiropractic care has been well documented in professional journals of all kinds. Dr. Genter will take special precautions with you during your pregnancy. Gentle physical, orthopedic (bone and muscle) and neurological (nerve) tests help reveal the condition of the spine. Gently pressing on the spine helps check for tenderness, swelling and restricted motion and should not be painful. Modifications to the table or adjusting technique are made during each stage of pregnancy. Adjustments can help relieve back and leg pain and are safe for mothers-to-be, fetuses, infants - and everyone!
How Can I Have A Safer, Easier Birth?
Chiropractic care is essential for the pregnant mother and baby. The mother's spine and pelvis undergo many changes to compensate for the growing baby, therefore the risk of interference to her nervous system is increased. Specific chiropractic care throughout pregnancy enhances the nervous system function, providing greater health potential for both mother and baby. If the pelvic muscles and ligaments are unbalanced, the uterus will torque and create intrauterine constraint. This will restrict the baby's position and adversely affects it's developing spine and cranium. This may also prevent the baby from assuming the best possible position for birth (breech).
The Webster Technique is a gentle yet effective chiroprctic adjustment that balances the pelvis and allows for a more normal position of the baby for birth. This technique has a high success rate in allowing babies in the breech position to go into the normal head down position. Only a few chiropractors have obtained certification in the Webster Technique with additional study in the unique needs of pregnancy care.
Pregnancy Care
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Dr. Karen A. Genter and Dr. Jennifer Escarcega
High Desert Chiropractic and Wellness
5310 Homestead Road NE, Suite 202 A
(One street south of Montgomery off San Mateo)
Albuquerque, NM 87110
(505) 292-2226