Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy
Can’t find it here? Contact us.
The answer is an emphatic – YES!
During pregnancy it is not uncommon for the expectant mother to experience pain and discomfort as her body adapts to the many changes taking place as a result of the growing child within her. These not only include the many hormonal changes but also biomechanical changes as the body deals with the extra weight and the inevitable changes in posture.
Such changes can affect the expectant mother’s spine and nervous system which may in turn result in compromises to nerves, joints, connective tissue, ligaments, posture and stability.
At Central Coast Health HQ we monitor the events taking place within your changing body with special emphasis on your spine and nervous system. Ensuring that the spine, pelvis and nervous system remain in optimal condition is our primary focus. Ensuring the expectant mother is free from Vertebral Subluxations allows her and her developing baby to function at their best.
In fact research shows us that pregnant mothers who have regular chiropractic care throughout their pregnancy experience greater comfort, less pain as well as shorter labour and delivery times with fewer complications and fewer interventions. As a whole these mothers experience a sense of vitality and wellness throughout their pregnancy and are thus better prepared to deal with the challenges of childbirth.
During pregnancy it is not uncommon for the expectant mother to experience pain and discomfort as her body adapts to the many changes taking place as a result of the growing child within her. These not only include the many hormonal changes but also biomechanical changes as the body deals with the extra weight and the inevitable changes in posture.
Such changes can affect the expectant mother’s spine and nervous system which may in turn result in compromises to nerves, joints, connective tissue, ligaments, posture and stability.
At Central Coast Health HQ we monitor the events taking place within your changing body with special emphasis on your spine and nervous system. Ensuring that the spine, pelvis and nervous system remain in optimal condition is our primary focus. Ensuring the expectant mother is free from Vertebral Subluxations allows her and her developing baby to function at their best.
In fact research shows us that pregnant mothers who have regular chiropractic care throughout their pregnancy experience greater comfort, less pain as well as shorter labour and delivery times with fewer complications and fewer interventions. As a whole these mothers experience a sense of vitality and wellness throughout their pregnancy and are thus better prepared to deal with the challenges of childbirth.
Absolutely NOT!
Many of our patients even receive chiropractic during labour to facilitate an easier delivery.
Many of our patients even receive chiropractic during labour to facilitate an easier delivery.
No! Regular spinal checks are an important part of maintaining a healthy spine and nervous system to ensure both the expectant mum as well as the unborn child are as healthy as possible. Remember, your body is changing in many ways and that can place a great deal of stress on your spine and nervous system. So rather than wait for problems to arise, we recommend a monthly check up at our clinic for all of our pregnant patients.
Kids
Can’t find it here? Contact us.
When some individuals first learn that DCs treat children as well as adults, they may get the wrong idea that chiropractic for kids is new – which is to say untested, experimental and dangerous.
That isn’t the case. Sure, the modern era of this field dates only as far back as the 1980s. But the fact is, the practice actually has much older and stronger roots. “If you go back to 1910, [founder of chiropractic] D.D. Palmer indicated how important it is to check a child’s spine from birth and throughout life,” notes Jeanne Ohm, CEO of the International Chiropractic Pediatrics Association (ICPA), a non-profit organization in Philadelphia.
By the 1980s, many DCs had developed their practices to treat adults specifically. In 1986, Dr. Larry Webster in the U.S. helped re-establish chiropractic care for children as a legitimate area of focus. He started teaching his child-friendly techniques, and he created the ICPA to further help chiropractors treat children.
Webster passed away in 1997, but his legacy continues. The ICPA now has more than 4,000 members and hundreds of DCs are studying to become chiropractors with a special focus on kids.
That isn’t the case. Sure, the modern era of this field dates only as far back as the 1980s. But the fact is, the practice actually has much older and stronger roots. “If you go back to 1910, [founder of chiropractic] D.D. Palmer indicated how important it is to check a child’s spine from birth and throughout life,” notes Jeanne Ohm, CEO of the International Chiropractic Pediatrics Association (ICPA), a non-profit organization in Philadelphia.
By the 1980s, many DCs had developed their practices to treat adults specifically. In 1986, Dr. Larry Webster in the U.S. helped re-establish chiropractic care for children as a legitimate area of focus. He started teaching his child-friendly techniques, and he created the ICPA to further help chiropractors treat children.
Webster passed away in 1997, but his legacy continues. The ICPA now has more than 4,000 members and hundreds of DCs are studying to become chiropractors with a special focus on kids.
DCs who treat kids often hear questions along these lines: Why in the world would a child need to see a chiropractor? What good does chiropractic do for a toddler, or even a newborn?
Chiropractors have a few good answers.
We may see a one-week-old child who is already showing signs of favoring, turning her head to one side versus the other, that may seem minimal… but if we can determine any imbalances or asymmetry with the muscular function or the joint alignment, and we address it early, it’s better. Once those postural patterns and habits develop as they grow, they can be much more difficult to change.”
Chiropractors have a few good answers.
We may see a one-week-old child who is already showing signs of favoring, turning her head to one side versus the other, that may seem minimal… but if we can determine any imbalances or asymmetry with the muscular function or the joint alignment, and we address it early, it’s better. Once those postural patterns and habits develop as they grow, they can be much more difficult to change.”
That’s what terrifies a lot of chiropractors about adjusting children, as well as parents, they think we’re going to adjust them like an adult.”
But DCs who treat children do not apply heavy pressure. Often, it’s a matter of moving the child into a position of ease, holding that position and things will reset quite nicely on their own. That’s why extra training is so crucial. These children are not like miniature adults. For example, spines are primarily cartilaginous until the age of six, and we know cartilage will deform when we have abnormal function. So we want to make sure that function is restored normally. And since the bones are immature, the alignment issues are different. We want to minimize rotations and traction, because children have different needs, due to the immaturity of their musculoskeletal and ligamentous structures.
But DCs who treat children do not apply heavy pressure. Often, it’s a matter of moving the child into a position of ease, holding that position and things will reset quite nicely on their own. That’s why extra training is so crucial. These children are not like miniature adults. For example, spines are primarily cartilaginous until the age of six, and we know cartilage will deform when we have abnormal function. So we want to make sure that function is restored normally. And since the bones are immature, the alignment issues are different. We want to minimize rotations and traction, because children have different needs, due to the immaturity of their musculoskeletal and ligamentous structures.
Many DCs follow accredited courses to develop child-specific skills.
Chiropractic associations recognize it as a legitimate area of focus.
In a statement, the Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors (ACAC) has acknowledged, “chiropractic treatment is as beneficial to children as it is to adults and that the efficacy and benefits of the delivery of chiropractic care to individuals 18 years of age and under are well supported by a body of ongoing research and documented case histories.”
In a statement, the Alberta College and Association of Chiropractors (ACAC) has acknowledged, “chiropractic treatment is as beneficial to children as it is to adults and that the efficacy and benefits of the delivery of chiropractic care to individuals 18 years of age and under are well supported by a body of ongoing research and documented case histories.”
We often refer pediatric patients to their medical doctors and to medical specialists, and we communicate clearly in the best interests of the child. I see our roles as complementary.
The majority of medical doctors are very much in favor of working together. Every once in a while you run into someone who thinks we’re all a bunch of quacks and they’re not up to date with the sorts of things we do. But by far the relationship with pediatricians is healthy and puts the patients’ best interests first.
Reality recap
Chiropractic care for kids is not new. Children benefit from chiropractic care. Techniques for children are safe and nowhere near as forceful as they may be for adults. Many DCs are qualified experts, and many child-focused chiropractors establish strong connections with medical doctors. The truth is, DCs can and do share the benefits of their profession with patients across the entire age spectrum.
Reality recap
Chiropractic care for kids is not new. Children benefit from chiropractic care. Techniques for children are safe and nowhere near as forceful as they may be for adults. Many DCs are qualified experts, and many child-focused chiropractors establish strong connections with medical doctors. The truth is, DCs can and do share the benefits of their profession with patients across the entire age spectrum.