Pregnancy is an exciting time for any mum-to-be. Unfortunately often lower back pain during pregnancy can take the joy out of this experience.
Around half of all women experience lower back problems during this special time (1) and will often seek chiropractic care for relief.
What causes lower back pain during pregnancy?
As your pregnancy progresses and your body shape starts to change, your centre of gravity starts to shift forward. This combined with carrying the extra weight of a baby means that the demands increase on your lower back, gluteal and core muscles, as well as the joints and discs the lower back. It is the overload of these areas that can often result in lower back pain during pregnancy.
Hormonal changes also play a role in causing lower back pain during pregnancy. During pregnancy a hormone called Relaxin is released which helps to relax the ligaments around the pelvic area, allowing them to stretch more during childbirth. This relaxing of the ligaments around the pelvis and hips can put added strain on the joints in the area and again make all the muscles work much harder.
The third major cause of lower back pain during pregnancy is stress. Stress is a major contributor to lower back pain across the population. It increases muscle tension and tightness, as well as lowering your ability to cope with pain and injuries. For many expectant mothers, pregnancy can be a stressful time which can add to lower back pain during pregnancy.
How can Chiropractic help with lower back pain during pregnancy?
Our Morley Chiropractors have experience and training in helping with pregnancy related aches and pains. We take a holistic and gentle approach in caring for pregnant women. Our centre also offers Pregnancy Massage.
We use a combination of gentle hands on treatments to provide relief. These include:
- gentle spinal adjustments
- soft tissue and trigger point therapy
- biomechanical blocking
- manual traction/stretching
Rehabilitative exercises and home care are also an important part of our plan to help make your pregnancy more comfortable. Your chiropractor may give you a variety or stretches and mobility exercises to help you feel comfortable in between visits. We also aim to help strengthen the pelvic, lower back and gluteal muscles to help cope with the added demands of pregnancy.
Chiropractic for lower back pain during pregnancy is very safe (see our previous blog all about this here) . Studies have shown that 84% of pregnant patients experienced relief through care (1).
We are here to help!
To see how can help with your lower back pain during pregnancy, feel free to contact our clinic on (08) 9275 6095 or book online today.
For more information on on why pregnant women seek our care, check out this article.
References
- Borggren C. (2007). Pregnancy and chiropractic: a narrative review of the literature. Journal ofChiropractic Medicine. 6, 70-74
