Pregnancy and Chiropractic

Pain and discomfort are accepted as part of being pregnant by many women, here at The Octagon Chiropractic Clinic we don't feel it is necessary to accept these aches and pains. 

We regularly treat pregnant women helping to reduce and often eliminate the discomfort they may feel during their pregnancy.

Changes To Your Body During Pregnancy 

Pregnancy has a huge impact on your body and there are a lot of changes that take place, some of these are welcome and exciting, others can be uncomfortable and tiring. 

Often seemingly ‘minor’ problems are exacerbated during pregnancy and so become more noticeable or aggravating during this time.

Changes which take place include changes to your skin, variances in the way your organs work – including your lungs, heart and kidneys, enlargement of the uterus and breasts and changes in hormonal generation and levels.

With these physiological changes naturally come subtle alterations in the way you hold and move your body. For example, the curve in your back may increase as your baby develops and the distribution of your weight is changed. Or the baby may choose a position that presses on your bladder or places a foot under your ribs.

As your pregnancy progresses and your body prepares for labour the ligaments around your pelvis have more give and so there is a lot more movement in the joints around the pelvis. Sometimes this can result in pelvic girdle pain due to the increased movement, especially if an imbalance occurs and one side becomes more mobile that the other. Pain may also be felt at the front of the pelvis above the pubic bone.

When the ligaments in your pelvis have more give the surrounding muscles are made to work harder in order to keep the pelvis stable which can lead to muscle pain and tension. In turn such stresses around your pelvic area can put pressure on the sciatic nerve causing pain through the buttock and down the leg, commonly known as sciatica.

Furthermore the increased curve in your back can lead to back pain and the increased movement in the joints of the pelvis and resulting muscle tension, can lead to pain and discomfort around the pelvic girdle. At this point you may consider seeing a Chiropractor for a treatment to help with these aches, pains and feelings of discomfort. Chiropractic care can help minimise these tensions in your body and allow both yourself and your baby to feel more comfortable as you progress through pregnancy.

Chiropractic Treatment

Because of the numerous transitions taking place in your body during pregnancy a Chiropractic treatment during this period is modified to be much gentler than you may expect at other times in your adult life. At the Octagon Clinic we work with mothers-to-be by focusing on good postural, spinal and pelvic alignment, muscle balance and relaxation, providing confidence and comfort during pregnancy. We believe that every woman has the right to feel good and in balance during this special time. 

If you would like to find out more about how Chiropractic can help you, you can book in for a free 15 minute consultation by calling the clinic on 020 8563 2608 or e-mailing us at info@octagonclinic.co.uk. 

Hazel Dillon is a Chiropractor at The Octagon Clinic