From the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health, a case study published on March 25, 2015, reports on the case of a pregnant woman suffering from migraine headaches, hypothyroidism, and tachycardia being helped with chiropractic.
The study authors begin by pointing out that the use of chiropractic by pregnant women is fairly common. A survey of women between the ages of 18 and 49 years who were pregnant or had children less than 1 year old found that 37% of pregnant women and 28% of postpartum women reported using some form of CAM (complementary or alternative medicine) in the last 12 months. Of the practitioner-based CAM therapies, chiropractic remains the popular choice for care.
In this case, a 28-year-old woman, who was in the 14th week of her pregnancy, presented herself for chiropractic care. A previous pregnancy resulted in a cesarean delivery. She sought chiropractic care in the hopes that it would help improve her chances of an easier labor and a vaginal delivery. From her medical physician, she had received a diagnosis of hypothyroidism with mild tachycardia, and occasional migraine-type headaches.
A chiropractic analysis was performed consisting of a spinal postural analysis, and spinal range of motion, as well as static and dynamic palpation. From this, it was determined that subluxations were present in the upper cervical, pelvic, and upper thoracic spine. Chiropractic adjustments were begun and continued throughout her pregnancy.
On several occasions during her chiropractic care the woman would experience a variety of symptoms such as headaches, pelvic pain, and dizziness. These problems were quickly correct after her chiropractic adjustment.
During the 30th week of her pregnancy, the woman fell at home and her obstetrician’s discovered that her fetus had moved from the proper vertex position to a transverse lie. She received two chiropractic appointments, and performed a set of recommended inversion exercises at home. Shortly thereafter, she reported that she felt her baby had shifted back into the normal vertex position. This was confirmed by her medical physician.
The study reports that the woman was able to successfully carry her fetus through a normal labor, and at 40 weeks plus 4 days, she delivered a baby girl vaginally weighing 8 lbs., 9 oz., and measuring 21 inches long.