Pregnancy Pain

It is perfectly safe to receive chiropractic care during pregnancy, and here at Ridgeway Chiropractic Clinic, we ensure that all our treatment programmes are tailored to meet your specific needs and preferences. It is very common that during pregnancy women will experience joint, muscle or nerve pain, and also prior to childbirth these pains and discomfort may continue or even worsen. Providing gentle treatment to pregnant women as a way of relieving their pain or discomfort is something that our team of practitioners are experienced in.

The early stages of pregnancy put an increased stress and strain upon the body, for example, enlarging breast tissue puts a greater strain upon the muscles and the ribcage, and even morning sickness can cause extra strain as a result of greater stress being placed upon the ribcage and the spine. Gentle treatment of the joints, stretching techniques and soft tissue work in the rhomboids, trapezius, pectoral and intercostal muscles are methods of treatments used by our teams as a way of providing relief from any symptoms that the patient may be experiencing.

During the second trimester, further strain and stress is placed upon the body as further changes occur, causing increased pressure on pain sensitive structures. In this trimester the uterus rises and the abdomen enlargement becomes more prominent. The posture alters as a new centre of gravity is found, increased weight is placed on the heels and the natural curves of the spine are often accentuated. Treatments provided by our chiropractors at our Newport clinic include joint manipulation, mobilisation and muscle work, these can help in assisting the body with adapting to the changes occurring during this time.

In the third trimester the abdomen rapidly enlarges. Much of the enlarging uterus is borne by the surrounding musculature and pelvis including the rectus abdominalis muscles, the perineum, the pelvic floor and the pubic synthesis. The hormone relaxin is also released to help relax the interuterine ligaments but this subsequently allows other ligaments to relax. The hormonal changes that occur at this time can lead to discomfort and strain upon the joints due to altered movement patterns. To assist in decreasing the strain on the joints and muscles our chiropractors will individualise a treatment to suit the patient. As the pregnancy begins to reach its full term, chiropractic treatment can help to maintain good sacroiliac function; this can be very helpful and is very important for the preparation for labour and delivery.

The conditions and symptoms discussed above are the normal changes expected and experienced during pregnancy, however we are also trained and experienced in treating specific pregnancy related complaints. These conditions include persistent rib and chest pain, low back and pelvic pain, sciatica and symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD). A physical assessment alongside an in depth history of your condition and progress will be taken by our team before a discussion of the treatment options takes place.