While many adults routinely visit the chiropractor or make an appointment after injury, many people are unaware that chiropractic care can have a positive impact on women who are pregnant, children, and infants. Chiropractors are trained to help in all stages of life. Women who are pregnant, children, and infants can all benefit tremendously from chiropractic care. Not knowing this information can cause people to stray away when they need it the most.
Chiropractic care is the science and art of realigning misaligned joints. Your spine is a central point of your nervous system. It houses an abundance of nerves which extend throughout the rest of your body. A misaligned spine can cause issues in your back and throughout the rest of your body. For instance, the source of your shoulder or leg pain might actually be coming from your spinal column. Chiropractic care helps reset the misalignments, discs, and nerves with conservative, non-drug related treatment.
Benefits for women who are pregnant
It is apparent that a woman experiences significant changes in her body both during and after pregnancy. As the pelvis slowly prepares for delivery, the spine shifts with your center of gravity; the hips, spine and the body’s lower extremities must bear the additional weight. Misalignments are bound to happen and chiropractic care can actually benefit a pregnancy in many ways.
Women who are pregnant might refrain from chiropractic care out of fear of complicating pregnancy. However, chiropractors take special care with their expecting patients and utilize different techniques to avoid applying pressure onto the abdomen. In addition, chiropractors also use specialized tables that also removes most pressure off of the abdomen during the realignment process.
Spinal adjustments during pregnancy can alleviate lower back pain, realign your spine, and take a tremendous amount of pressure off your hips. This, coupled with pelvic realignments—such as the Webster technique—can help with moms comfort level AND assist with your baby-to-be’s shift into birthing position. This can reduce your risk of pregnancy and birthing complications, and can potentially speed up labor as well.
Benefits for children
Chiropractors know a child’s frame is more fragile than adults. Their bones are not fully solidified and their cartilage and growth plates are still soft and developing. While developing cartilage is more susceptible to damage, misaligned joints and bones can become problematic when they solidify. Misalignments are a guarantee when you consider the incredible amount of growth that children experience and their seemingly endless activity levels.
So, it bears repeating – chiropractors know children aren’t little adults! This means that they use significantly less force, if any, to realign a child. One technique for fixing a child’s misalignments is to mobile the area, pace the child in a relaxed position and let the joint reset itself. Fixing these misalignments can help your child move easier and help prevent future problems.
Benefits for infants
Like children, parents might stray away from taking their infant to the chiropractor because of the assumed force involved. Like children, chiropractors know infants are delicate and utilize safe and effective techniques with practically no force.
An infant can experience multiple benefits from a visit to the chiropractor. The womb is not exactly a spacious place, misalignments can happen as the baby shifts into the birthing position, and the birthing process itself can cause unforeseen issues as well. Also, you might notice your baby favoring one side or the other while learning early motor skills. This could be a sign of an immobility caused by their rapid growth or everyday activities.
If you are still unsure whether or not to your child or infant to the chiropractor or scared it may harm your pregnancy, please don’t hesitate to consult with your doctor, chiropractor, or your child’s pediatrician.