Prenatal Chiropractic

Dr. Sulack has treated hundreds of mothers-to-be in his 21 years of practice. He has utilized the gentle Webster Technique as well as the Torque Release Technique with the Integrator. Both of these treatment techniques allow Dr. Sulack to treat moms throughout all stages of pregnancy.

Often, pregnancy creates enough chemical, physical and emotional stress to cause pain and discomfort for the mother. Low back pain, upper back pain, headaches, hip discomfort, sciatica, neck tension, carpal tunnel syndrome, TMJ pain, shoulder pain, sleep apnea, and even acid reflux can occur during most stages of pregnancy.

Many mothers choose a preventative approach with chiropractic during their pregnancy. This allows their body to adapt and change more efficiently through all 3 trimesters.

Although it is not as ideal as preventative treatment, we also treat mothers later in pregnancy. Pain and discomfort, and/or a breech baby, can prompt a mother’s first visit to our office. In these situations, our gentle prenatal adjusting technique, including Webster Technique, helps their baby turn naturally. Sometimes Dr. Sulack’s patients experience their baby turning after only one or two treatments.

Often, later in pregnancy, patients are more comfortable sitting during treatment.  Dr. Sulack has extensive experience diagnosing and adjusting patients in a seated position through the final weeks of pregnancy.

Webster Technique

The Webster Technique Helps the Mother:
  • Maintain proper pelvic alignment.
  • Avoid pinched nerves in pelvis and low back.
  • Reduce muscle spasm.
  • Prevent back-labor.
  • Avoid/correct breech presentation.
The Webster Technique Helps the Baby (Fetus):
  • Develop with less pressure on cranial, spinal and skeletal structures.
  • Avoid misalignments caused by limited space and movement in the uterus.
  • Maintain a proper position to be ready for delivery.
  • Avoid the increased stress of a delivery with complications.

Research: Safety and Effectiveness of Chiropractic During Pregnancy

In July, 2008, the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) reviewed previous studies of the safety and effectiveness of chiropractic care during pregnancy.  It found:

  • Up to 80% of women have low back pain during pregnancy.
  • Almost 80% of those women did not seek out any treatment, possibly because they felt low back pain was a "normal" part of pregnancy.
  • The top six studies showed a high percentage of pregnant women did get relief from their lower back pain through chiropractic care.
  • One study showed 84% of the 25 subjects reported relief of their lower back pain.
  • One study found among 103 patients who received chiropractic care during their pregnancy, all of the women reported greater than 50% decrease in back pain on a questionnaire.
  • In another case series where 120 pregnant women with Low Back Pain underwent an average of 15 chiropractic treatments: 
    • 25% had complete remission of their back pain.
    • 50% reported feeling very well.
    • 15% were feeling better.
    • Only 10% noted no change in condition.
  • JMPT report indicated no adverse effects or evidence of harm to either the pregnant woman or unborn child from the chiropractic care.

Research: Sacroiliac Pain During Pregnancy

Finding:

  • After manipulative therapy, 10 of the 11 women (91%) had relief of pain and no longer exhibited signs of sacroiliac subluxation.

(Sacroiliac Subluxation: A Common, Treatable Cause of Low-Back Pain in Pregnancy - Daly JM, Frame PS, Rapoza PA.   Fam Prac Res J 1991;11(2):149-159)

Research: Back Pain During Pregnancy and Labor

Finding:

  • 84% of patients receiving spinal manipulative therapy reported relief of back pain during pregnancy. There was significantly less likelihood of back labor when spinal manipulative therapy was administered during pregnancy.

(Back Pain During Pregnancy and Labor -Diakow PR, Gadsby TA, Gadsby JB, Gleddie JG, Leprich DJ, Scales AM.   J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1991 (Feb); 14 (2): 116-118)

Case Study - Webster Technique / Breech Presentation

Results:

  • A gentle chiropractic technique was used with 4 patients with babies in breech presentation. The fetus was turned in all 4 patients within 4 visits.

(Resolution of Breech Presentation Using an Activator Adjusting Instrument to Administer Webster’s Technique in Three Women Undergoing Chiropractic Care. - Drew Rubin, BS, DC, CCSP, DACCP  Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health - Chiropractic ~ Volume 2010 ~ Issue 1 ~ Pages 18-21)

Case Study - Webster Technique / Breech Presentation

Results:

After the application of 5 Webster Technique adjustments, the fetal position turned from a longitudinal fetal lie and breech fetal presentation, to a longitudinal fetal lie and vertex fetal presentation.

(Chiropractic Care of a Pregnant Patient Presenting with Intrauterine Constraint Using the Webster In-Utero Constraint Technique: A Retrospective Case Study - Danielle Drobbin, B.A., D.C. Claire Welsh, B.S., D.C   Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health - Chiropractic ~ Volume 2009 ~ Issue 2 ~ Pages 1-3)

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