Thoughts and experiences on chiropractic care in pregnancy?

wtfisup

I've never used one before and have heard lots of mixed reviews. But they seem to be the go-to for pregnancy back pain. Thoughts and experiences?

steprozz

I haven't used one for pregnancy but when I'm not pregnant I love the chiropractor. however, I am a huge advocate of acupuncture during pregnancy and any other time. it does wonders!

chickpea912

I've never use a chiropractor, but a good friend of mine (who gave birth yesterday!) used it during the third tri when she had immense amounts of pain and swore by it.

ElTrain5

Mine has helped me (along with PT) with my pelvic pain and sciatic pain tremendously.

At my worst I saw my chiro and my physical therapist twice a week each and now see them each about once every two weeks. I went from practically immobile, with pain 9 out of 10 with any movement to moving almost normally and a 2 out of 10 in about 8-10 weeks. I can't express strongly enough how much it improved the quality of my pregnancy and my life.

I also plan on seeing one trained in Webster technique towards the very end to get my pelvis ready for labor, especially if I end up having a breech baby, and once after delivery to love everything back into place.

curlylocks3

I would go to physical therapy before trying a chiro but thats just me. 

elsa1688

I was seeing a chiropractor for the first time this pregnancy. I felt like it helped but he was way too sales focused and I didn't like how he was billing my insurance so I stopped. If I found someone I trusted, I would try again.

puttyeast

I have back pain even without pregnancy, so it has definitely increased. It definitely helps with pain and stiffness. My chiropractor specializes in working with pregnant women and says that she will do things to help position the baby to avoid complications.

ElTrain5

curlylocks3 said:

I would go to physical therapy before trying a chiro but thats just me. 

Having gone to a few of each, I can honestly say that some chiropractors (not all) are very similar to physios. There are good ones who do muscle work and manipulation along with stretching and teaching exersizes to help the problem, which is a lot of what I do in PT.

Eta: it's really important to do your research and find someone good though. It's definitely not something to choose at random. A bad chiro can do more harm than good. Get reccomendations.

Mindyvl

I swear by my chiropractor, both now during pregnancy and when not pregnant.  I had a very similar experience to @ElTrain5 and feel that seeking chiropractic care is the only thing that has allowed to return to society as a functioning human being.  I had such severe pelvic pain at 20 weeks, that I could barely walk from bed to the bathroom and back again.  Today, seven weeks later, after twice weekly visits, I only have the most modest amount of pain and feel better than I generally do when not pregnant.

Pepper6

I've never been, but I was considering going when my pelvic pain was bad. In the last week though it went away on its own. I still get some stiffness, but I'm going to try a massage first (since I bought a groupon lol)

My sister who is 37 weeks has gone several times and she said it's helped tremendously.

curlylocks3

ElTrain5 said:

I would go to physical therapy before trying a chiro but thats just me. 

Having gone to a few of each, I can honestly say that some chiropractors (not all) are very similar to physios. There are good ones who do muscle work and manipulation along with stretching and teaching exersizes to help the problem, which is a lot of what I do in PT. Eta: it's really important to do your research and find someone good though. It's definitely not something to choose at random. A bad chiro can do more harm than good. Get reccomendations.

I have definitely heard good things about that. I just don't know anyone who has used a chiro so I wouldn't know where to start, whereas I know quite a few people in PT, including a group that works with women who are pregnant and postpartum. That would just be a natural starting point for me.

curlylocks3

joules235 said:

curlylocks3 said:

ElTrain5 said:

I would go to physical therapy before trying a chiro but thats just me. 

Having gone to a few of each, I can honestly say that some chiropractors (not all) are very similar to physios. There are good ones who do muscle work and manipulation along with stretching and teaching exersizes to help the problem, which is a lot of what I do in PT. Eta: it's really important to do your research and find someone good though. It's definitely not something to choose at random. A bad chiro can do more harm than good. Get reccomendations.

I have definitely heard good things about that. I just don't know anyone who has used a chiro so I wouldn't know where to start, whereas I know quite a few people in PT, including a group that works with women who are pregnant and postpartum. That would just be a natural starting point for me.

I think chiropractic care and physical therapy go hand in hand. PT will strengthen the muscles while chiropractic care will ensure the skeleton is aligned in a such a way that the muscles support and keep the proper alignment. When I hurt myself cliff jumping my right side was far tighter than my left side and it was also stronger. My pelvis was out of alignment and that was causing a good portion of the tightness on my right lower back. Once I had my pelvis adjusted the PT could work the muscles in a way that supported the proper alignment rather than compensated for poor alignment.

My PT and chiro had a shared office and I would go in have a quick not so relaxing massage just to release tension, then I would have an adjustment, then I would finish up with PT.

It totally slipped my mind during my first posts, but I should probably also say that my insurance covers PT but not chiro services. Major motivating factor for me.

b48kate

I just get a nice massage...but I'm a skeptic by nature, and some of the tenants of traditional chiropractic practice seem a little bit like pseudoscience to me.

MarciP83

I saw a chiro when I was pregnant with my 6 yo dd bc my hips were all out of whack. I went once and never went back because he insisted that I consent to a treatment program of going 3-4 times a week. Even though my insurance "covered" it, I still had a copay and couldn't afford to go as often as he said. He basically told me if I didn't go that often it wasn't going to be worth it. He came highly recommended, too. Having been on bed rest for so many weeks now, my hips/back are all jacked up and I've been toying with the idea of finding a different chiropractor, but I'm a little nervous!

wtfisup

How much do sessions cost? My insurance will pay $2k a year toward chiro and acupuncture.

Savvy122

I never really believed in chiropractic care until recently - and now I'm a complete believer.  I suffered from SPD pretty badly with DS and when symptoms started popping up around 12 weeks this time around, I knew I had to do something.  After two adjustments, my pain was gone.  Completely.  I go every two weeks and I have had zero hip or back pain with this pregnancy - and at 30 weeks, that's pretty amazing!  My chiro also throws in a prenatal massage with each adjustment, which is a pretty sweet bonus.

As far as cost, you'd probably want to contact a few different chiros to see what they charge, as I'm sure it varies by provider.  I do have to pay a copay at each visit too.  Good luck! 

ElTrain5

wtfisup said:

How much do sessions cost? My insurance will pay $2k a year toward chiro and acupuncture.

My insurance has me pay a $25 copay.

britleann26

What is Webster technique?

katekat8721

I'm afraid of getting hurt with chiro and pregnancy... I'd have to find someone I really trust who is great AND can deal with twin pregnancies, and like curls, I wouldn't even know where to start.

My insurance also doesn't cover it so kinda easy decision for me!

@wtfisup - when I went to chiro pre-pregnancy it was $50 a session (insurance didn't cover)

otter1103

I love my chiropractor! Has helped me tremendously with all my back pain and getting adjusted 1-2x a week has helped with my headaches and heartburn. The hard part is finding one not sales driven like some of the other ladies have mentioned. Working in the insurance field, chiropractors catch a bad rap because it's an easy money area when it comes to injuries and claims. However there are good ones out there.

Edit- because mobile typing is hard

abastian00

I'm so super curious about Webster - did anyone try it for previous pregnancies and find it un/successful?

britleann26 - it's a technique for turning breech babies)

jenn72178

One of my very good friends is a chiro - I had never seen her before being pregnant but she's done wonders for my sciatica and lower back pain during pregnancy. She does a really nice warming therapy beforehand to loosen my muscles in my upper back/shoulders and does an adjustment to get my alignment back in check.  I go every other week (even though my insurance does cover it and it's only a $15 copay each time) so I don't think I'm going because I'm addicted.. I just know I feel better afterwards so it's totally worth it for me, personally.   She's even got a special pregnancy pillow with a hole in the middle for your belly so you can lie comfortably on your stomach while she does the adjustments

jenn72178

@Rachel5130 this one is only $130... what a bargain  https://www.bellypod.com/index.html

tclayton53

I started seeing a prenatal chiro at 24 weeks to stay ahead of any back pain that may arise. I go 1x a week and it's been great. No pain to-date and I get a 10-15 min massage at each appointment. It's helped with some swelling in my feet as well.

ncbelle

Chiro did wonders for my back pain last pregnancy and I'm about to start going again to try to avoid it all together.

Just make sure you go to someone with good recommendations who has specialized training in working with pregnant women.

MrsCase1

i just asked my ob about this appt before last. she said she is not opposed to them but it only provides a temporary fix so she recommends PT instead. with PT they teach how to care for yourself at home, too, so you save money and have a long-lasting solution. i still haven't gotten around to doing either.

temursgirl

No experience with a chiropractor, but I will second @stephross88‌ on acupuncture. I also went before pregnancy and I haven't really suffered from back pain, so take this FWIW, I think it really helps. It's really helped with my allergies, migraines, and IBS and I do feel it's eased a lot of pregnancy symptoms for me. You do need someone who specializes in pregnancy. Edited: autocorrect is weird

fearnoevil

I used a chiropractor in the beginning of the second trimester and got relief after the adjustment. I have gained a considerable amount of weight since (15 lbs) and opted to do massage therapy this last trimester. I've had one session so far, got just as much pain relief but received total relaxation which has been priceless for me.

chloephoebecali

Ds was breech, and I did stretches and a chiro in an effort to flip him. He flipped but who knows if he would have done so anyway. I'm probably going to start again for all the pain I have.