Spine Clinic

Carrying a baby during pregnancy is a natural task, but it does not always go smoothly for all women. Treatment at the chiropractor may help you avoid some of the uncomfortable musculoskeletal side-effects related to changes in your posture and weight gain.

By 10-12 weeks of gestation, relaxin, a hormone produced by the body during pregnancy to allow stretching of the ligaments and joints surrounding the growing fetus, has begun to soften ligaments and allow for joint laxity. The uterus enlarges in a forward direction, shifting the center of gravity of the body over the legs. It is not uncommon for a pregnant woman to develop musculoskeletal compensations to the forward position of the fetus and the increasing weight of the breasts.
 

Common observations of postural changes include:

• ‘Rounded shoulders’ and 'forward head posture' due to the increasing weight of the breasts. This creates pain in the neck, mid back and headaches and is due to straining of the muscles, joints and ligaments of the spine in those areas.
   

• Increase in the arch of the low back (lumbar lordosis) may contribute to the development of lower back ache due to an increase in pressure on the spinal facet joints and sacro-iliac or pelvic joints. This postural strain may cause referred pain into the buttocks and leg/s as a common side effect.

• Flattening of the arches of the feet creating pain in the balls of the feet. This can be due to the forward weight shifting from your heels to the toes. Treatment of the feet can help pain in the feet and ankles allowing to stand longer periods.