Chiropractic Care and Pregnancy
Pregnancy can be a very exciting time for parents as they prepare for their family to grow with the arrival of their baby. As the baby grows, the mother’s body changes as she prepares for childbirth.
Sometimes these changes can be uncomfortable or painful, and about three-quarters of pregnant women experience back or pelvic pain.1, 2 This is one of the reasons many pregnant women seek chiropractic care.
Is it safe?
When deciding whether to see a chiropractor, pregnant women often ask, “Is it safe to receive chiropractic care while I’m pregnant?” The good news is that chiropractors can tailor care to each individual patient, and research suggests that chiropractic care during pregnancy is safe for both mother and child.4,6
What does the research say?
But what does the research tell us about the benefits of seeing a chiropractor when you're pregnant? When it comes to back pain, there haven't been many large-scale studies yet on whether chiropractic care helps pregnant women.3
Although more research is needed, the results of the studies conducted so far are promising and seem to show that chiropractic care can be truly beneficial for some pregnant women.4 In one study, researchers in Switzerland followed 115 pregnant women who visited a chiropractor for lower back pain over the course of a year.5 What they found in this study was that more than half of the patients reported feeling “better” after just one week of chiropractic care, and after one month, that figure had risen to 70%.
In a study conducted in New Zealand, researchers examined pelvic floor muscle function in pregnant women before and after they received treatment from a chiropractor.
At the end of the study, about 90% of the mothers who participated in the study said their pain had improved. Based on this study, we cannot say with certainty whether it was the chiropractic care that actually helped them, but at the end of the study, more than 85% of the mothers said they were satisfied with the care they had received from their chiropractor.
Can chiropractic care help me get through childbirth?
Researchers believe that chiropractic care can help pregnant women during childbirth. For a woman in labor, the ability to relax and contract her pelvic floor muscles is very important for helping the baby move through the birth canal.7 To ensure the birth process goes as smoothly as possible, with the best chance of a natural, vaginal delivery, you ideally want strong pelvic floor muscles that can relax and contract at the right time.7, 8
New Zealand study
In a study conducted in New Zealand, researchers examined pelvic floor muscle function in pregnant women before and after they received adjustments from a chiropractor. They found that after the pregnant women received adjustments, their pelvic floor muscles appeared to relax more when they were at rest.
This relaxation of their pelvic floor muscles after they received treatment may mean that chiropractic care can help them have a natural vaginal birth. This was only a small study, and the researchers could not be certain how much of an impact these relaxed muscles would have on labor itself, but it does suggest that chiropractic care may give pregnant women more control over their pelvic floor muscles, which could make labor easier. Other research supports this idea. One study reported that first-time mothers experienced an average 25% reduction in labor time with chiropractic care during pregnancy, and that figure rises to a 31% reduction for mothers who had given birth before.4 It makes sense to keep yourself as healthy as possible during your pregnancy.
So if you want help with how your spine and nervous system function, consider seeing your chiropractor, because it’s natural, safe, and can help you feel better and increase your chances of having a faster, easier delivery of your little bundle of joy.
References
Malmqvist et al. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2012;35(4):272-8.
Weis et al. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology Canada 2018;40(8):1038-43.
Stuber & Smith. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2008;31(6):447-54.
Borggren. Pregnancy and Chiropractic: A Narrative Literature Review. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine 2007;6(2):70-74.
Peterson, Muhlemann, Humphreys. Chiropractic and Manual Therapies 2014;22(1):15.
Stuber, Wynd, Weis. Chiropr Man Therap 2012;20:8.
Yan, et al. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Systems Biology and Medicine 2016;8(6):506-16.
Du, et al. International Urogynecology Journal 2015;26(10):1415-27.
Acknowledgments
Dr. Heidi Haavik - B.S. (Physiology), B.S. (Chiropractic), Ph.D.
Dr. Kelly Holt - BSc, BSc(Chiro), PGDipHSc, PhD
Dr. Jenna Duehr - BChiro, BHSC (Nursing), MHSc
