It is no secret that pregnancy comes with all types of aches, pains, and problems: headaches, back pain, sleep loss, morning sickness, sciatica, and more. Most women find ways to cope with this, but because drugs only mask pain, they never actually achieve lasting relief. However, there are other options, like chiropractic and acupuncture. These holistic treatments work, whether you’re pregnant or not!

Reasons to Stay Away from Medications During Pregnancy

Your OB may tell you to take Tylenol (acetaminophen) to relieve headaches, back pain, and other aches that come naturally with pregnancy. However, taking medications during pregnancy could harm to both mother and baby. Research shows that some common, over-the-counter drugs taken while pregnant can cause:

Birth defects
Premature birth
Heart complications for the baby
Excess blood loss for the mother during birth

Enduring months of headaches and pains from hormone changes, on top of an enlarging body and fluid retention, would make anyone want to turn to medication. For many drugs, we don’t yet know their effect on fetuses and pregnant women. If you’re pregnant, uncomfortable, and craving relief, talk to your doctor about drug-free, holistic chiropractic or acupuncture or call Doyle Chiropractic and Acupuncture today at 817-767-5430.

What is acupuncture and how does it help?

Acupuncture originated in China thousands of years ago. It’s a completely drug-free, holistic treatment that can instantly help with a long list of health issues.

If acupuncture is the right treatment ease your pains, Dr. Doyle will insert hair-thin needles through the skin, in specific locations that run along meridians in the body. The needles cause a release of brain chemicals to correct imbalances and restore comfort. Acupuncture procedures are considered safe and come with very little risk.

Acupuncture can help relieve:

Morning sickness
Lower back and pelvic pain
Depression
Headaches
Sleep problems

Although acupuncture can reduce lower back and pelvic pain, Dr. Doyle may want to do more than just treat your discomfort. With chiropractic care, he can provide musculoskeletal manipulation to address skeletal misalignments, which might be an underlying cause of your problems.

What does musculoskeletal manipulation look like for a pregnant woman?

Growing fetuses can cause misalignment of the mother’s spine or joints, as well as incorrect posture. It can even increase curvature of the back. If a growing womb causes the mother’s pelvis to become misaligned, the baby may not have enough space to grow and develop properly.

If you have been to a chiropractor before, this visit will look much like a regular visit but it will take a little more time. (If you’ve not been to a chiropractor, learn more about the first visit here.)

The chiro will ask you to lie face-down on an adjustable table that has cutouts for your belly and face. He’ll rely on techniques that don’t involve putting pressure on the abdomen. Hormones produced in a pregnant woman cause joints to soften, so Dr. Doyle will not need to use a lot of pressure to correct misalignments.

Once your adjustment is completed, Dr. Doyle might provide you with a list of simple, safe stretches that you can do at home.

Focus on having good posture. Use pillows to support your back while lying down or sitting (in a chair, in the car, on the sofa). These few habits can go a long way toward maintaining your adjustment’s results.

Dr. Doyle will let you know when to come in for another appointment, or he may tell you to call the office and schedule when you notice aches and pains surfacing. Your body will change during and after pregnancy, so don’t forget that chiropractic and acupuncture may be a great option for you, even after your child is born.

Is chiropractic care harmful to the baby?

As long as the chiropractor has been trained to work with pregnant women, absolutely not! In fact, treatment will benefit both mother and baby. Read this story about a woman who found significant pain relief by undergoing chiropractic treatments during her pregnancy.

It should not be a secret: musculoskeletal manipulation and acupuncture have been proven to help ease and relieve the pains of pregnancy. Stories like Kelley’s are common, although they are rarely publicized.

No woman should have to endure nine months of discomfort and pain when there is a healthy, drug-free way to find relief.

Discuss holistic pain relief options with your doctor or call our Roanoke, TX chiropractic clinic at 817-767-5430 to set up a one-hour, comprehensive consultation and evaluation with Dr. Doyle.

Lower Back Pain During Pregnancy

Most women gain about 20 pounds or more when pregnant, and most of it is concentrated in the belly. This increases lumbar lordosis (the arch of the lower back), which strains the vertebrae. This can cause constant lower back pain and muscle soreness. Another factor is the fact that pregnancy hormones relax the ligaments and joints to prepare the pelvis for delivery. This happens most significantly in the third trimester and can worsen any lower back pain a woman may be feeling.

If the pregnancy is not her first, an expectant mother might also be looking after an infant or toddler at the same time. This can mean carrying a child in her arms for several hours a day, bending over to pick up the child constantly, and all the other related activities that come with small children (e.g., picking up toys). These factors make back pain a real challenge for many expectant mothers.

Compressed Nerves

Sciatica is another common back problem during pregnancy, though it may be felt primarily in the buttocks. This condition can feel like a shooting pain in the lowest part of the spine (tailbone), that radiates down one or both legs. Sciatica is an example of pain resulting from a compressed nerve, as the sciatic nerve is located in the lower back. It may become compressed by weight gain, stress on the lower back from your shifting center of gravity, or even the position of the baby in the womb. Luckily this type of nerve pain usually goes away after delivery and recovery, but that doesn’t make it any easier to endure.

Keeping Your Spine Happy in the Third Trimester

There are several ways that expectant mothers can try to prevent these painful symptoms.

Go swimming when possible. The lower gravity environment in the water can take the pressure of your lower back and give your spine and ligaments a break. There’s no need to make it an intense lap-swimming workout; just walk around or let yourself float, and you’ll be doing your back a favor.

Make sure you sleep in a position that supports proper spinal alignment. Doctors recommend that pregnant women sleep on the left side, but it’s perfectly fine to sleep on the right if you are experiencing sciatic nerve pain on the left.

Use a body pillow or pregnancy pillow to support your back when sleeping.

Avoid sciatic pain when sitting by using a special pillow that keeps weight of the tailbone.

Avoid carrying heavy loads or bending over to pick things up in the third trimester.

How a Keller TX Chiropractor Can Help

Many women are unaware that chiropractic care is not only possible during pregnancy, but can be incredibly helpful at relieving pain. All chiropractors are trained in caring for expectant mothers, and adjustments may even help you achieve an easier birth through proper pelvic alignment. Depending on your symptoms, Dr. Cody Doyle may recommend a combination of chiropractic, acupuncture, and or myofascial release therapy.

If you need a Keller TX chiropractor to help you cope with pregnancy-related back pain, contact our office to make an appointment. We are located on Byron Nelson Boulevard, directly across the street from Hawaiian Falls Water Park. Call us at 817-767-5430 to make an appointment.