Doctors of Chiropractic provide a hands-on approach to provide pain relief and improve overall function of the body without the aid of medication or surgery.
Pregnancy Some genuinely amazing changes happen to the body during pregnancy to accommodate the growing baby inside. The uterus grows 500x its original size from 2oz to 2 pounds. The body's ligaments become looser with the release of the hormone relaxin. Relaxin allows for the pelvis to widen for childbirth. Not only do these changes occur, but an entirely new organ grows as well; the placenta. At no other time in a woman's life is her body changing so rapidly. These changes and increased weight gain can impact how a pregnant woman feels. Pregnancy changes the overall centre of gravity, weakens your core musculature and increases strain on joints resulting in low back and pelvic dysfunction. As a result, some women may experience low back pain, sciatic nerve pain, groin pain (pubic symphysis dysfunction), upper back pain and neck pain while pregnant. During pregnancy, chiropractic care is tailored to address any dysfunction in the ligaments and muscles around the pelvis and improve sacral function. Treatment is gentle and safe. A combination of muscle work, spinal mobilization and exercises can help reduce pain and improve pelvic dysfunction. Our chiropractors are both Webster certified, which is a treatment technique used throughout pregnancy. Postpartum chiropractic care After your baby is born, you go through a healing process. This healing process is different for each mother, depending on your labour. Did you have a natural birth? Did you have a lot of perineal tearing? Were forceps used? Did you have an episiotomy? Did you have a c-section? All of these variables affect how you heal after giving birth. Our chiropractors are trained to assess post-partum women in a comprehensive, whole-body approach. They will discuss if you are having any difficulty with urinary incontinence (peeing when you sneeze, cough or run). They will assess you for diastasis recti (abdominal separation) and address any other musculoskeletal dysfunctions that might be causing low back pain. We want women to know that just because the above symptoms are common post-partum, it does not mean that they are normal and cannot be resolved. Two of our chiropractors are Grow Co. professionals and are specifically trained in helping women post-partum. They can see you two weeks post-partum if it is a vaginal birth and six weeks after a c-section. Goals for our post-partum patients involve decreasing pain (if that is an issue), increasing strength and designing a return to exercise plan that is appropriate to your stage of healing. Treatment focuses on re-establishing the mind-body connection of your pelvic floor, abdomen, and diaphragm through rehabilitative exercises and chiropractic treatment. Even if you had your child five, ten or twenty years ago, post-partum chiropractic care and rehabilitation may be for you. |