Huntington Beach Chiropractor

Yodle asked:


Back, pelvis, and neck pain have been primary complaints of pregnant women for decades. Unfortunately, many of the standard recommendations for relief of such pain-e.g., sleeping with a pillow between the knees, taking warm baths, etc.-simply don’t cut it for a large portion of expectant mothers. On the brighter side, chiropractic care for soon-to-be moms may solve not only pain problems, but other pregnancy/delivery problems, as well.

How Chiropractic Care Works

The human body holds a complex musculoskeletal system, with the bones and muscles working much like levers and pulleys to facilitate desired movement. This is connected to the body’s neurological system, since nerve impulses control the muscular movement that pulls on the bones. When the skeleton is misaligned, pain results because nerves and muscles become pinched or strained, and because the misalignment often creates excess pressure on the joints. Chiropractic adjustments work by realigning the skeleton, thereby relieving the nerve, muscle, and joint problems.

How Does Chiropractic Care Help Moms-to-Be?

When a woman is pregnant, the musculoskeletal system is required to accommodate the excess weight of the pregnancy. Although some of this weight is distributed evenly throughout the body as maternal fat stores, the majority of the weight is gained in the abdominal region and is made up of amniotic fluid, the fetus, and placenta. With gravity pulling against this extra weight, the body has to work harder to stay upright because so much weight is in one area. As the body tries to compensate for this shift in its center of gravity and to deal with the weight, the musculoskeletal system gradually becomes strained and pulled out of alignment. This is made worse by the fact that hormones released during pregnancy cause the joints to become looser so that the bones in the pelvis eventually can shift enough to allow the baby through the birth canal. The result is pain, most commonly in the lumbar, pelvic, and neck regions. Seeing a chiropractor during pregnancy can alleviate these problems.

Another benefit to chiropractic care during pregnancy that often is not discussed is an easier delivery. When the pelvis of a mother is misaligned as a result of the pregnancy, the baby sometimes can have a more difficult time turning into the correct position for birth because the pelvic bones are misaligned and therefore in the baby’s way. While this does not mean the baby cannot be birthed, it can result in problems such as shoulder dystocia, which can mean longer, harder labors and which can become life-threatening for both mother and baby without intervention. By contrast, an aligned pelvis during delivery ensures that the baby can turn correctly and thereby encounter minimal resistance through the birth canal.

There Are Benefits, But Is It Safe?

When done correctly, chiropractic care poses minimal to no risk to the mother and baby. However, because there are multiple chiropractic techniques, a pregnant woman should make sure that the ones her chiropractor employs are low pressure (i.e., that the bones are shifted gradually back into place rather than quickly popped into alignment). This is because the hormones of pregnancy make the joints particularly loose, which can result in overcorrection.

The main side effects of chiropractic care for pregnant women are the same as for non-pregnant individuals. These side effects may include headaches, tiredness, and soreness in the treated region. This is mainly because the shift back into alignment can put the treated region into stress until the muscles, nerves, and bones become adjusted to their new, correct placement. These are usually temporary. However, chiropractic care also can be considered safer than other treatments (especially during pregnancy) because it is a natural remedy and therefore does not have the complications that drugs or surgery could have.

Are There Other Things to Consider?

Pregnant women are advised not to lie on their back for long periods of time because the weight of the baby can press on main arteries that supply blood to the child. For this reason, pregnant women should make sure that their chiropractor adjusts them carefully in positions that take this into consideration. Many chiropractors also have special tables with a place cut out for the belly so that the mother does not need to lie flat on her back.

Women who already have hypomobility of the joints previous to their pregnancy should be particularly careful of the type of chiropractic adjustment they receive during gestation. The hormones of pregnancy can worsen this hypomobility and can make the risk of injury from a hard adjustment higher. For this reason, some chiropractors are hesitant to work on pregnant women, particularly those with this condition.

Because medications can affect how the body reacts to the chiropractic adjustment, pregnant women need to discuss any medications they are taking with the chiropractor. This includes prenatal vitamins and supplements. Pregnant women also need to discuss any previous physical conditions, pregnancy-related and otherwise, that may affect the effectiveness of the adjustment or which may cause injury if left unknown to the professional. The current obstetrician seen should be aware that chiropractic care is being sought so that medications and recommendations from the obstetrician do not conflict with the chiropractic care.

The Bottom Line

Although a pregnant woman may experience some minimal side effects from a chiropractic adjustment, the benefits of chiropractic care that is correctly given outweigh the risks. As long as the chiropractor is well-informed of the pregnancy and other medical conditions and treatments, chiropractic care is a safe, effective, natural remedy to pain related to pregnancy misalignments and can help the mother to deliver more easily.

The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care an appropriate health care provider.



Huntington Beach Chiropractor

Dr Ross Carter asked:


Weight loss is perhaps the most sought after treatments today, with increasing number of people suffering from excess weight due to wrong eating, lack of exercise and hectic lifestyles. Many companies are providing various kinds of diet programs that guarantee weight loss but most do not produce any results while many cause harmful side effects that lead to myriad problems later in life. While choosing a diet program or a weight loss regime, it is important to understand the exact nature of our body and accordingly choose one. This is the basic quotient of chiropractic weight loss method that is now prevalent in many parts of the world. Chiropractors use your body history and strengths to help you lose weight effectively and maintain that weight loss over a period of time.

Chiropractic care deals with your weight problem holistically, addressing all possible issues and reasons simultaneously. In addition, chiropractors design your diet and exercise regime based on the detailed study of your body history and requirements. Given the fact that it is a personal diet and exercise regime design, it is more effective than all the general diet programs available in the market. Moreover, the constant inputs and motivation from the chiropractor ensures that you continue with the program. Chiropractors have helped millions of people lose weight by this personalized regime and have been successful in maintaining the weight loss.

Prior to choosing this treatment for weight loss, it is important that you understand the basics of chiropractic care for weight loss. The first step in any weight loss regime using chiropractic techniques is to conduct a complete body analysis, which includes details of current body weight, height, blood pressure details, medical history, details of ailments etc. This works as a base for chiropractors to design the entire weight loss program for the concerned person. In addition, some chiropractors conduct extensive tests and also body composition diagnosis so as to get a perfect picture of the actual problem.

Based on the results of all the tests and complete history of the person, a diet and exercise regime is created to suit individual needs. In addition, the chiropractor counsels his patients about diet, healthy eating, proper eating and all necessary dietary routines that need to be followed. Nutritional supplements and herbal medicines may also be used for weight loss, if required but this largely depends on the individual and the chiropractor. Apart from a balanced diet, chiropractors advise their patients on the different kinds of exercise routines that should follow the diet program. Exercise regime starts from simple exercises that require less time to a more full fledged workout and in addition, chiropractors help you learn how to lose double the weight in half the time by spending more energy while doing something.

Finally, for any weight loss program to be effective, it has to become a part of your lifestyle. Chiropractors help inculcate this diet program into your lifestyle and ease the transition from your earlier lifestyle into the new one. In addition, they counsel their patients on various behavioral problems that might be the cause of excessive weight.



Huntington Beach Chiropractor