You may think of a chiropractor as someone who will ease your back pain, but in fact, a chiropractor does much more than that. In order to receive the proper care you need, your chiropractor will need a complete medical history and a picture of your current health status.

On your first visit, expect to spend at least 30 minutes to discuss any health issues. If you have a copy of x-rays or radiology reports, you will need to give them to your chiropractor to review. He or she may want to give you a general physical and take your blood pressure, reflexes, breathing and an analysis of your posture.

Be prepared to discuss your current level of activity, your stress levels, medications you are on and your general health condition. They will also want to know your family medical history. Your back problems could be hereditary. Tell your chiropractor if you have had any major illnesses or surgery in the last 5 years.

Having thorough knowledge of your medical history and your current health status, along with your activity levels, will give your chiropractor a better picture of how they can best help you. They will be able to tell if your condition is temporary or will require long term treatment.

Once the initial consultation is complete, you can expect each visit to last only 15 or 20 minutes, depending on the condition that you are being treated for. Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothes.

A chiropractor may recommend that in between visits you take the necessary steps to improve your overall health like quitting smoking, reducing your alcohol intake and eating healthier. He or she may even request that you lose weight. Extra weight places a tremendous strain on your body.

Whether you are suffering from neck pain, back pain or sciatic pain, your chiropractor can relieve the systems and help them from re-occurring; but it is important to take responsibility for your own health and make sure you are taking care of yourself. For instance, lower back pain may be caused by nothing more than being overweight.

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Prenatal chiropractic care can help to avoid or relieve many of the primary complaints of pregnant women such as muscle strains, back, pelvis and neck pain. By establishing pelvic balance and proper spinal alignment and maintaining optimal function of the woman’s nervous system, chiropractic care is a safe, drug-free option for making pregnancies and deliveries easier and healthier, for both the mother and the baby.

Many common pregnancy problems are primarily due to changes that affect the pelvic and spinal ligaments, muscles, joints and other supportive soft tissues. In some cases, they lead to misalignments of the pelvic and spinal structures, and may affect the normal spinal curvature of the expectant mother. The majority of such pregnancy-related pain conditions will quickly disappear with chiropractic care.

* Lower Back Pain: Pregnancy-related lower back pain is usually the result of a condition known as ‘sacroiliac joint dysfunction’, which chiropractors call ‘SI subluxation’ (subluxations are misalignments of body joints that lead to irritation of nerves and tissues in the surrounding area). As the body adjusts to weight gain and the change in weight distribution during pregnancy, spinal and pelvic muscles and ligaments sustain additional stress. To facilitate the delivery process, a pregnant woman’s body produces increased amounts of hormones like Relaxin that cause muscle and ligament relaxation. Together, all these factors can result in misalignments (subluxations) of the spine and pelvis, increasing the stress on the joints, nerves, and discs in the lower back and pelvis and creating pain.

* Sciatica (pain, weakness, numbness or tingling in one or sometimes both legs) is also often the result of subluxations in the low back or pelvis.

* Neck Pain and Headaches: Subluxations in the neck area can be the reason for the neck pain and headaches experienced by many mothers-to-be. As the pregnancy advances, the woman’s center of gravity changes – and so does her posture, creating extra stress in the neck and the middle back.

Chiropractic care is beneficial for treating other, non-pain related, pregnancy issues as well. A misaligned (subluxated) pelvis could mean that the ligaments connecting the uterus to the pelvis are affected, which in turn affects the position of the uterus and the growing baby. When a doctor of Chiropractic corrects subluxations of the pelvis, this helps to balance the uterus, often allowing a ‘breech baby’ to assume a more optimal position for delivery.

Chiropractic spinal adjustments during pregnancy are specific, gentle, and safe. The increased relaxation of muscles and ligaments due to hormones mean that less force is required during spinal adjustments. Light pressure is usually applied to the joints of the spine, restoring normal alignment and reducing stress on the nervous system.

Because it enhances the functioning of the nervous system and restores balance to the pelvis and the muscles and ligaments that attach to it, specific chiropractic care throughout pregnancy can lead to better deliveries and provide improved health potential for the mother and her baby, both.

If you consult a doctor of Chiropractic during your pregnancy, make sure that he / she is well-informed of the progress of your pregnancy, any medication you may be taking and your medical history in general.

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