By Dr. Kelly Herta, DC

Wow! Isn’t it exciting you’re pregnant! It should be the most exciting time in your life. You are having a baby! Unfortunately many women soon discover that with pregnancy come major bodily changes, such as lower back pain. In fact, many women begin to suffer from low back for the first time in their life. They may begin to experience this pain in their first trimester of pregnancy and the pain often times increases throughout the pregnancy as the baby grows. Soon after their low back pain starts most women return to their OB/GYN to discuss what are the safe options for treatment of their pain. Unfortunately, many times these women are disappointed by the results. They are often told that there is not much that can be done since the low back pain is brought on by the strain on their back from the baby’s growth as well as hormonal changes in their body. As a result many women are told to take a few of the pregnancy safe pain relievers and are put on bed rest.

The pain most women experience during pregnancy usually begins as an acute sharp pain in their lower back which often radiates down into their buttock region and then down the back of either or both legs. This pain is called sciatic pain, since it is caused by the irritation of the sciatic nerve, the largest nerve in the body.

As the baby grows the baby begins to also put pressure on the joints of the body. The joints that are often affected include the lumbar or low back spinal joints as well as the pelvic joints between a person’s two pelvic bones and sacrum (tailbone). As pressure is put on these joints the surrounding musculature and nerves (sciatic) become irritated and misaligned. This leads to altered biomechanics in the spine and the pelvic region which once again causes more pain.

One choice for treatment that many women are never told about is Chiropractic care. Chiropractic care works to correct misalignments in the spine and the pelvic region as well as to decrease pressure on the surrounding musculature and nerves, thus reducing pain and improving flexibility and function. Chiropractic care can be a safe alternative to medications while pregnant and can allow the patient to live a more mobile, pain free life throughout their pregnancy.

For more information, Dr. Kelly Herta, DC at Aligned Health Chiropractic & Wellness Center. 27875 Smyth Dr. # 100, (661)295-5200.

Read more articles from Dr. Herta’s Body Wellness series by clicking here.