Dr. Garber and the Garber Chiropractic Care Center would like to share the below article with you. The article originally published on Canadian family physician website and authored by Christopher Oswald, DC, Ceara C. Higgins, DC and Demetry Assimakopoulos, DC. This article contains terrific information regarding pain relief through chiropractic therapy for women during their pregnancy. A link to the full and original article is provided below the excerpt.
Optimizing pain relief during pregnancy using manual therapy
Question Many of my pregnant patients have muscle and joint aches, and are reluctant to use analgesics. What is known about chiropractic care during pregnancy?
Answer As pregnant women move into their second and third trimesters, their centres of mass shift anteriorly, causing an increase in lumbar lordosis, which causes low back and pelvic girdle pain. Increasing recent evidence attests to the effectiveness and safety of treating this pain using manual therapy. Massage therapy and chiropractic care, including spinal manipulation, are highly safe and effective evidence-based options for pregnant women suffering from mechanical low back and pelvic pain.
Musculoskeletal pain is extremely common among pregnant women, with approximately 20% of pregnant women experiencing pelvic girdle pain,1 and 50% to 85% experiencing low back pain.2
Owing to fears of the potential effects of medications, many women are unsure of what to do about low back and pelvic pain during pregnancy. This uncertainty can often lead to increased feelings of stress, anxiety, and helplessness. Women might report to their physicians with symptoms of pain located in the groin, pubic symphysis, or sacroiliac joint. They often believe that their pain is a result of a problem with their placenta, uterus, or developing baby.3 Common sacroiliac joint dysfunction can often cause substantial pelvic pain and can be relieved with a simple adjustment by a chiropractor in minutes. Chiropractors, as primary health care professionals, have the ability to identify and diagnose mechanical problems and to alleviate many cases of undue stress or anxiety. Chiropractic doctors are also trained to understand when symptoms are indicative of something more ominous and to refer the patient to the appropriate professional if a nonmechanical issue is suspected.
Manual Therapy
Massage therapy and chiropractic care, including spinal manipulation, are highly safe and effective evidence-based options for pregnant women suffering from mechanical low back and pelvic pain. Very few adverse effects have been reported in the literature, and those that were identified did not affect the lumbar spine, pelvis, or, most important, the developing child. Simply knowing that a safe and effective treatment exists can reassure the patient.
Conclusion
Women experiencing musculoskeletal pain related to pregnancy can greatly benefit from manual therapies, including spinal manipulation, acupuncture, and massage therapy. Access to manual therapy can be facilitated by family physicians and obstetricians by making this information available to their patients.