Pregnancy and Postpartum

A hormone called “relaxin” is generated in a woman’s body when she is pregnant. It has a loosening effect on her joints, partly to prepare the pelvic joints for passage of the baby through the birth canal, but it affects all the joints in her body. Because of this, her joints become more vulnerable to misalignments or distortions.

It is especially beneficial for expectant moms to come in for periodic full-body balancing. My Activator Chiropractic method is gentle, comfortable, precise, and especially suited for women in pregnancy.

After the birth, relaxin slowly dissipates, but for a while the mother’s joints remain susceptible. So continuing to get checked and balanced, while the body returns to pre-pregnancy status, is a good idea.

A Persistent Pain in the Neck

     Patients often present with tension and pain low across the back of their skull where the cervical spine transitions to the cranium. This area is called “suboccipital,” meaning just inferior to the occiput, the bone at the bottom of the back of the head. 

     Tension and discomfort here can be stubborn to alleviate, usually because of chronic bad postures, often at a computer. Suboccipital muscles work overtime with these stressed postures, resulting in fatigue, restricted blood flow to the tense tissues, and consequent buildup of cellular metabolic wastes, lack of oxygen & nutrients to the cells, and an eventual self-perpetuating, painful cycle.

     Precise Activator Chiropractic adjustments to balance the cervical spine & occiput, and to reset the tone in the suboccipital muscles, along with gentle cranial balancing, is the first step. But changes in postures and specific stretches done by the patient are key to a long-term solution.