There is no denying that pregnancy is one of the most wonderful experiences a woman can have. Still, when that lower back pain kicks in, we soon begin wishing for our gestational period to end. Around 61% of us experience back pain while pregnant, yet only 31% speak up. There could be many reasons for this. Try as we may, exercise might not alleviate the worst cases. Naturally, many are concerned about the effect that painkillers may have on a developing fetus.
The severity of this pain can vary between women, as well as between pregnancies. Depending on your current lifestyle factors, the way it affects you emotionally can also differ. As any expectant mom will already know, interacting with your other children is hard enough when morning sickness and back pain kick in. It therefore stands to reason that many of us want to resolve pregnancy-related back pain rather than waiting until we give birth.
One natural solution that is often overlooked is chiropractic care. A lot of moms have apprehensions about chiropractic care for several reasons. One common misconception is that it is unsafe, particularly for pregnant women. Fortunately, there is literature from the chiropractic world that proves otherwise. A retrospective review1 of women requiring care for lower back pain found that 91% seeking sacroiliac subluxation treatment experienced pain relief following their therapy.
A further study carried out on a slightly larger cohort of pregnant women found that there were no adverse effects of chiropractic care in any of the cases. Again, just over 90% of the women reported a significant improvement in the nature of the pain they were experiencing.
With clinical evidence supporting both the safety and efficacy of chiropractic care during pregnancy, there are hopes that women experiencing lower back pain can go on to enjoy the rest of their trimesters. As this is a condition that can start at any point in the pregnancy, but is more likely to occur during the second and third trimesters. Mothers who are interested in chiropractic should seek out a professional with experience in pregnancy-related issues.
Frye Chiropractic serves the Lancaster area and beyond, using the expertise of fully trained and experienced chiropractors.
Sources:
1: Sacroiliac Subluxation: A Common, Treatable Cause of Low Back Pain in Pregnancy
2: Chiropractic spinal manipulation for low back pain of pregnancy: a retrospective case series
