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Pregnant woman reading
Ask any pregnant woman how she’s feeling and the truth usually comes out. On top of being exhausted, she often will experience some or all of the following: an aching lower back, neck pain, headaches, sore hips, and numbness and tingling in the hands. Throw in some heartburn and anxiety and that rounds out the downsides of her impending joy.
More and more frequently, women are turning to chiropractors to get relief from these symptoms, says Dr. Stacy Boone-Vikingson, a chiropractor and clinic lead at Northwestern Health Clinic Bloomington, an integrative health provider at Northwestern Health Sciences University. She also is certified in pediatric chiropractic by the Academy Council of Chiropractic Pediatrics.
Chiropractors focus on ensuring that our spines are aligned, but their adjustments and treatments also keep ligaments, tendons, joints, and muscles in good working order. Often, doing that will ease many of the aches and pains of pregnancy, says Boone-Vikingson.
“Misalignments are a big part of pregnancy,” she adds. “As the baby grows, mom’s center of gravity starts to change as she carries more weight in the front. That changes her posture and causes misalignments.”
Such misalignments can lead to discomfort and pain, which have side effects of their own—especially when pregnant women can’t rely on some pain relief medications. Getting pain eased through chiropractic care is completely safe for both mom and baby, Boone-Vikingson says. And chiropractors will refrain from X-rays, ultrasounds, and electrical stimulation therapies during pregnancy to protect the developing baby.
In addition, pregnant women seek help from chiropractors when their babies aren’t in the vital head-down position necessary for a vaginal birth. Many obstetricians and midwives refer patients to a chiropractor if the baby is breech or side-lying later in pregnancy.
Chiropractors are well-versed in the Webster technique, which studies have found to be 82 percent effective in coaxing a baby to go head down. When the pelvic and lower back joints are aligned, that makes room for the baby while loosening ligaments that also might have been causing problems, says Boone-Vikingson.
There are other perks from receiving chiropractic care. Pregnant patients get to lay on their stomachs for adjustments, thanks to drop tables that make room for a growing belly. “Mom gets to lay on her tummy comfortably and doesn’t harm the baby,” she says. “It’s a different position than they normally can be in.”
Chiropractors recommend that expecting women see a practitioner regularly throughout their pregnancies, with a frequency that mimics their OB-GYN visits. “Right away is a great time to start. Then we have a baseline and can work with mom throughout her pregnancy as her body changes,” Boone-Vikingson says. “We help coach her through those changes and what she can do to prevent or minimize pain that may come.”
And who wouldn’t want to experience a more comfortable pregnancy? It often makes for a faster recovery once the baby is born—and that’s a win-win for everyone.
Located in Bloomington, Northwestern Health Sciences University is a pioneer in integrative natural healthcare education, offering degree programs in chiropractic, acupuncture, Chinese medicine, massage therapy, nutrition, post-bac pre-health/pre-med and B.S. completion. Its Northwestern Health Clinic Bloomington is open to the public and provides treatment in most of the above areas by certified practitioners.
See more content from Northwestern Health Sciences University.
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