During pregnancy, most women experience a number of neuromuscular and biochemical problems which respond favorably to gentle, safe, noninvasive chiropractic care. At Fall Creek Chiropractic, Dr. Dean Wiggers provides these gentle changes to your pelvic/low back region. He recognizes these primarily affect the pelvic and spinal ligaments, muscles, joints, and other supportive soft tissues. When damaged these can cause sprain/strains of the pelvic and spinal structures, as well as alteration of the normal spinal curvatures and spinal biomechanics. The result is an increased stress on the body leading to pain and discomfort. A list of these changes which can be helped by Dr. Dean Wiggers include:

• Release of the hormone relaxin causes muscle and ligament relaxation allowing joints to more easily misalign; treatment would include gentle mobilization to align these structures thus reducing pain
• Increased weight gain which increases demand on spinal and pelvic muscles, stress on spinal and pelvic ligaments, lumbar and thoracic spinal curves which increase above mentioned; treatment would include strengthening and stretching techniques to minimize strain upon these tissues

At Fall Creek Chiropractic, Dr. Dean Wiggers can alleviate the uncomfortable symptoms arising from the muscular, ligamentous, and biomechanical stresses encountered during pregnancy. We accomplish this through the use of a number of highly specialized procedures and techniques:

• Gentle spinal mobilization procedures specifically designed for use in the pregnant female which assists in maintaining a spine's position optimizing spinal biomechanics, keeping the spine in correct position/posture, and assists in pain relief by reducing spinal and pelvic stresses which produce soft tissue pain
• Therapeutic exercises and stretches that are safe for use during pregnancy keeping spinal musculature strong, balanced, and pain free enabling spinal muscles to maintain the spine and body in a neutral, correct posture
• Soft tissue work that keeps muscles relaxed and flexible, reducing bouts of muscle aches and pains

Is chiropractic care safe during pregnancy?

There are no known contraindications to chiropractic care throughout pregnancy. All chiropractors are trained to work with women who are pregnant. At Fall Creek Chiropractic, in Fishers Indiana, we use tables that adjust for various stages of a pregnant woman's body, and we will use techniques that avoid unneeded pressure on the abdomen. Dr. Wiggers, who is versed in the needs of women who are pregnant will also provide you with exercises and stretches that are safe to use during pregnancy and compliment any mobilizations made to your spine.

Why should I have chiropractic care during pregnancy?

During pregnancy, there are several physiological and endocrinological changes that occur in preparation for creating the environment for the developing baby. The following changes could result in a misaligned spine or joint: (1) protruding abdomen and increased back curve, (2) pelvic changes, and (3) postural adaptations. Chiropractic care during pregnancy may provide benefits for women who are pregnant. A lot of our pregnant patients at Fall Creek Chiropractic present not only with lower back pain but also with upper back and neck pain. We will look at all contributing factos and treat accordingly. Dr. Wiggers will help maintain a healthier pregnancy, relieve back and neck pain, and provide you with the tools needed to help control your symptoms at home.

Should I tell my health care provider, general practitioner, obstetrician that I'm seeing a chiropractor during my pregnancy?

At Fall Creek Chiropractic we work closely with all physicians regarding the care of our patients. Especially when our pregnant patients are under care of another physician we always inform them of our treatment plan and provide co-treatment dialogue. At no time will Dr. Wiggers encourage you to only see himself and surrender care to other physicians.

Research Studies

There have been various studies and research that confirms that benefit and safety that occurs with chiropractic care of the pregnant women. One study states that researchers identified the sacroiliac joints of the pelvis, frequently adjusted by chiropractors, as being responsible for the majority of low back pain cases in pregnancy. This is due to the significant number of hormonal and biomechanical changes occurring in the pelvis during pregnancy. Researches found 7/10 women were helped by spinal manipulation in this study.