Posted by Iraíma Fadanelli on January 14th, 2018

Tags: Chiropractic, pregnant, pregnancy, health.

 

Numerous times we have heard that when the baby is not in a cephalic position (upside down), the chances of a natural birth are almost zero. For a woman who has always dreamed of opting for this kind of delivery it can be frustrating. What they do not all know is that this can be reversed, and that one of the ways to help the baby to have a correct position for the delivery is through the correct alignment of the pregnant woman’s hip and spine.

During pregnancy, the woman’s body undergoes a series of biomechanical and endocrinological changes to prepare the baby’s development. When the abdomen begins to grow, there are significant pelvic and postural changes. Misalignment of the pelvis reduces the amount of space available to the fetus and hampers the arrival of the correct position for birth.

Biomechanically, the displacement of the center of gravity is due to the increase of the abdomen and breasts, and postural alterations, such as the reduction of the plantar arch, hyperextension of the knees and pelvic anteversion. These alterations generate accentuation in the lumbar lordosis and consequent tension of the paravertebral musculature. Compression of the large vessels through the gravid uterus causes decreased marrow blood flow and can cause low back pain, especially in the last gestational semester. Ligament laxity is also noted by secretion of relaxin through the corpus luteum, which makes the lumbar spine and hip joints less stable and therefore more susceptible to stress and pain^1,2.

According to the American Pregnancy Association, through chiropractic care it is possible to establish the alignment and pelvic balance necessary for the fetus to have a greater chance of changing position within the uterus, resulting in safer labor for both the mother and the baby4. Chiropractic also assists pregnant women in joint alignment, providing greater stability and balance for movement, restoring normal joint function, avoiding or reducing pain and keeping the nervous system free of interference and optimizing the body’s potential for adaptation ^3,4.

References:

1 http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0034-70942017000300266&script=sci_arttext&tlng=pt

2 Katonis P, Kampouroglou A, Aggelopoulos A, et al. Pregnancy-related low back pain. Hippokratia. 2011;15:205-10.

3 http://americanpregnancy.org/es/pregnancy-health/chiropractic-care-during-pregnancy/

4 http://pathwaystofamilywellness.org/Chiropractic/can-chiropractors-turn-breech-babies.html