Chiropractic care can be beneficial during pregnancy and labor & delivery
A specialist can assist expecting mothers with back pain – and encourage safe delivery. About 50% of all pregnant women experience back pain and about 50% to 75% experience back pain during labor, according to a study published in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine.
“In pregnancy, our options for using pain medications are limited,” explained Jessica Pettigrew, MSN, CNM.”We really try to avoid nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories, which are kind of the mainstay for back pain outside of pregnancy. So, chiropractic care is nice in that it doesn’t involve taking medications that we often avoid in pregnancy and it can be effective.”
During labor & delivery chiropractic care can involve what is known as the Webster Technique to correct the position of a breech baby. Pettigrew said this technique is about as effective as the external cephalic version, which is a procedure she and other midwives use that involves using their hands to try to flip the baby.