quick clicks

pregnancy today articles

pregnancy today q&a

message boards

research baby names

prepare a birth plan

content channels

ip channel rss feeds

read birth stories

read parenting stories

recommended books

e-newsletters

safety recalls

ip diaries

ip store

mom of the month

dad of the month

editor's letter

letters to the editor

Chiropractic Adjustment During Pregnancy

Can It Help Reduce Your Time in Labor?

By Laura Cone

While she was a student attending a chiropractic college, Dr. Stacey Jones of Whitehall, Pa., was also expecting a child. As part of her training, Dr. Jones had to adjust other students and experience a chiropractic adjustment. Because the chiropractic adjustments eased her own labor, she decided to become a doctor of chiropractic who specializes in mothers-to-be.

"I was going to a chiropractic college and the last six months I was pregnant," Dr. Jones says. "The chiropractic made a huge difference in my pregnancy. We were going through our internship at that time. I remember saying I don't know how women go through pregnancy without seeing a chiropractor because of the difference I felt."

Researchers say first-time moms average a 24 percent shorter labor after receiving chiropractic care. Your labor is more likely to progress even more rapidly if you have already given birth and receive chiropractic care.

During pregnancy, you may experience added stress on your spine due to weight gain as well as a change in weight distribution. The changes mean an increase stress on spinal and pelvic muscles, fatigue on pelvic and spinal muscles as well as increased joint stress.

Dr. Jones says a pregnancy adjustment is not very different than a regular adjustment, although the chiropractor may make some alterations in technique and patient positioning to accommodate for the increase in a woman's size.

During a session, you can expect your chiropractor to use a gentle, comfortable technique to place pressure on and restore your spine to normal function. The chiropractor uses gentle force to release a vertebral segment from its abnormal position.

"The reason why it helps with labor is when we are checking your spine, we make sure everything is in proper alignment," Dr. Jones says. "It allows everything to be set in place. It allows that pelvis to open up as wide as it can."

Dr. Jones says some of the problems women experience during pregnancy, around the fifth month, include lower back pain.

"It can range from de-habilitating to just a little bit of ache," Dr. Jones says. "A lot of women will notice pain in the mid back because of the increase in the breast size or weight of the breasts. The mid back, a little bit later in the pregnancy, becomes an issue as the breasts start to get a little heavier because the ducts are producing in order to prepare for lactation."

Sciatica pain resulting from irritation of the sciatic nerve often causes pain in a woman's leg, she says. "During pregnancy there are a lot of changes that go on in the body due to the carrying of the baby, the increase in weight gain and also because there are hormones circulating around," Dr. Jones says. "The purpose of the hormones is to make all the ligaments nice and lax in the pelvis area so when it's time for labor the pelvis can open up and the baby can come through the birth canal."

During an adjustment, Dr. Jones checks the spine and makes sure all the vertebrae are properly aligned. "During pregnancy doing an adjustment is actually a little easier because the ligaments are nice and lax," she says. "It's very non-forceful. We do focus a lot on that low-back region because that's the most common site of pain. Some women also get headaches and migraines associated with the fluctuation in the hormone level and chiropractic can give a little relief to that."

Since most pregnant women avoid pain medication, having a chiropractic adjustment is a welcome alternative.

Dr. Jones has a massage therapist on staff that works with her in her practice, and also specializes in prenatal care. She says everyone has a different ability to tolerate pain during labor. Some women feel comforted by massage while other women don't want to be touched during labor.

"Some women will have difficult labors for different reasons, so just because you go to a chiropractor during your pregnancy does not ensure your labor is going to be short and sweet," Dr. Jones says.

Dr. Joan Fallon, a chiropractor in Yonkers, N.Y., recommends a chiropractic adjustment during pregnancy because it's non-invasive and safe. She had one client in her office that was carrying triplets.

Dr. Fallon, who is a fellow of the International Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics and chair of the Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics, conducted a small study looking at women who received pregnancy adjustments and their times in labor. "It reduced the amount of time in labor approximately to make it as if it were your second child," Dr. Fallon says. She believes having a chiropractic adjustment may also help prevent a Cesarean section since women who have longer labors are more likely to have a C-section.

Dr. Fallon says women need firm, steady and regular contractions to have an efficient labor. "Labor is a function of coordination of nerve and muscle," she says. "If you have a uterus contracting properly, you are going to have a much more efficient labor."

Women who are experiencing back labor with a baby in a posterior position may benefit from receiving chiropractic care during their labor.

Dr. Mike Dorausch, a chiropractor and father of two from Venice, Calif., says there is not a lot of "cracking and snapping" going on with pregnancy adjustments.

Dr. Dorausch sees a lot of women in their 30s with experiencing pressure on their sciatic nerve. "It's real common for people to think we are treating low back pain; in reality we are not," Dr. Dorausch says. "We are looking to remove nerve interference."

Dr. Dorausch employs gentle spinal adjustment methods designed for pregnant women.

During pregnancy a woman releases the hormone relaxin, which causes muscles and ligament relaxation and allows the joints to more easily get out of alignment, according to Dr. Dorausch. "We modify our technique because there are some changes," he says. "Hormones are different so the body moves more easily. It serves both the doctor and patient. Moms produce more hormones; they are more flexible. The adjustments are going to be obviously real gentle. There will be times moms will have to move slower getting on and off the table. It's really to remove interference from the nervous systems so moms can do what they do more naturally."

Finally, your chiropractor may be able to provide dietary and nutritional counseling, massage and soft tissue work, therapeutic exercises and stretches as well as gentle spinal adjustments.

Want to see more?

• A Look at Homeopathy: Will Homeopathy Work for You?
• Sometimes Labor Can Be a Pain in the Hip: A Certified Doula Explains Hip Pain and Positioning of the Baby
• Back on Track: Tips for Easing Back Labor
• Check out our Article Library.
• Talk about it!