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PREGNANCY & BACK PAIN
If you experience back pain during your pregnancy, you share the problem with almost half of all pregnant women. In a recent study of 950 women, 49% complained of back pain. These results emphasise the importance of developing and maintaining a healthy back before you become pregnant.

Causes: During pregnancy a woman's body changes dramatically. These changes cause the spine to undergo compensatory changes. The most common postural changes are due to the bulk of the growing baby, the enlarging breasts and the secondary weight gain as the body prepares to nourish the new baby.

Due to the growth of the abdomen, the lower spine is pulled forward, causing women to throw their shoulders back and their heads forward to compensate for these changes. This often results in backache and tension headaches associated with the pregnancy.

Symptoms:

  • Low back and pelvic joint pain and discomfort
  • Pain in the ribcage and shoulder girdle
  • Neck and shoulder ache
  • Headache and migraine
  • Pain and numbness in arms and legs
  • Heartburn, caused by poor posture or foetal size.

Prevention :

  • Have regular chiropractic treatment throughout pregnancy
  • When sitting on a chair it may also help to use a cushion in the small of the back to give support to tired muscles.


Is Chiropractic safe during pregnancy?

Yes Chiropractic is the diagnosis and treatment of musculo-skeletal disorders.


Pregnant women are perhaps more prone than normal to back pain and other musculo-skeletal problems. Obviously the treatment of a heavily pregnant women is tailored to her needs and is often very different from treating someone who is not pregnant. Our chiropractors however will never take x-rays of a pregnant women which is why, if any females are x-rayed, they are required to give us written assurance that they are not pregnant. Chiropractic is very useful in pregnancy, as there is often very little else that is on offer to women who suffer significant periods of back pain, especially during their last trimester.

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