Did you know over half of pregnant moms experience some form of back pain during their pregnancy? (1) This can be quite concerning for expecting mothers as there are limited treatment options available to them due to carrying the child. Fortunately, chiropractic care is safe and effective at helping low back pain, even in patients who are pregnant. (1)
Now some people are thinking to themselves, sure maybe for early term pregnancies, but no way a pregnant lady can be comfortable on a chiropractor’s table. However, this is far from true! There are multiple ways to get around a patient's belly bump and ensure the safety of both the mother and child. Pelvic and lumbar adjustments can be performed in the side posture or by modifying the table to accommodate the baby, thoracic adjustments via anterior adjusting (bear hug as some patients call it or when the doctor places one hand behind the back while face up), and cervicals can be adjusted supine (on your back) or even seated in a chair.
Results noted by pregnant patients who experience low back pain and receive chiropractic adjustments include decreased pain intensity and pain disability. (2,3) Another study from 2012 found that a multimodal (in this instance chiropractic care along with standard obstetrics care) approach to caring for this specific population of patients was of more benefit than just obstetrics care alone. (4)
Linked here is another good article that summarizes multiple studies regarding pregnancy and low back pain: Chiropractic Care for Low Back and Pelvic Pain During Pregnancy (chiro-trust.org)
Sources
Anthony J. Lisi. (2006). Chiropractic Spinal Manipulation for Low Back Pain of Pregnancy: A Retrospective Case Series, Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health, (51)1: e7-e10, ISSN 1526-9523, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmwh.2005.09.001.
Hall, H.; Cramer, H., Sundberg, T., Ward, L., Adams, J., Moore, Craig M., Sibbritt, D., Lauche, R. (2016) The effectiveness of complementary manual therapies for pregnancy-related back and pelvic pain, Medicine: 95(38): pe4723 doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000004723
Walker, B.F., French, S.D., Grant, W. & Green, S. (2011). A Cochrane Review of Combined Chiropractic Interventions for Low-Back Pain. Spine, 36 (3), 230-242. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0b013e318202ac73.
George, J.W., Skaggs, C.D., Thompson, P.A., Nelson, D.M., Gavard, J.A., Gross, G.A. (2012). A randomized control trial comparing a multimodal intervention and standard obstetrics care for low back and pelvic pain in pregnancy. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.208(4):295.E1-295.E7