Naperville, IL Chiropractor - Goyke Health Center

Chiropractic Care Before, During and After Pregnancy

Although pregnancy can be a beautiful time in a woman’s life, it does not come without some major discomforts, annoyances and pain. Obviously, morning sickness and labor pain come to mind, but many women also report back pain and other joint pain throughout their pregnancy.

This happens for a number of reasons. For one, weight gain and the baby itself can place a great deal of stress on a woman’s body. As the pregnancy progresses, the baby’s head may place pressure on the woman’s lower back and irritate the sciatic nerve or the piriformis muscle in the buttocks.

The weight gain is also awkward as the center of gravity shifts forward. This can also place stress on the joints. The area of the spine in the lower back begins to curve a bit and in response, the upper spine curvature will also increase. All of this places additional stress on the spinal disks. Some of this structural stress is diminished due to hormonally loosened ligaments (in preparation for birth), but the loosened ligaments also increase postural imbalances and the potential for tripping or falling. Excessive weight can also cause or exacerbate joint problems in other areas of the body such as the knees or even shoulder joints which may incur problems due to awkward reaching.

Many people would have a pregnant woman believe this is just her lot in life to deal with these physical aspects of pregnancy, but this simply isn’t true. There are many things women can do to diminish the pain and discomfort of pregnancy before, during and after.

If possible, back and neck issues should be treated (or a plan begun) prior to pregnancy. Left untreated, acute or chronic back and neck pain will only increase during pregnancy. We can also examine you for underlying structural problems that may not be causing any problems now, but could become noticeable and troublesome during and after pregnancy.

If you are already pregnant, Dr. Goyke can also help treat any existing back problems as well as help you prevent back, neck and other joint problems from developing during pregnancy.

At Goyke Health Center, pregnant women can expect the very best chiropractic care before, during and after pregnancy. Gentle chiropractic adjustments can relieve pain and pressure. We can also give you advice on proper nutrition, ergonomics and safety measures that are important during pregnancy. After delivery, it’s important to treat any problems prior to your ligaments tightening back to pre-pregnancy state. This can help prevent muscle tension, headaches, rib discomfort and shoulder problems.