Q:  Is chiropractic safe if I’m pregnant?

A:  Yes, chiropractic care is completely safe and very beneficial for expectant mothers.  
 
Chiropractic adjustments can help their bodies respond to the physical changes they are experiencing as they experience weight gain and hormonal changes.  Most women find that the adjustments improve pregnancy and make the delivery easier for their babies and themselves. 

What is Chiropractic?  Chiropractic is a branch of healthcare that treats conditions of the nervous and musculoskeletal systems, and how these disorders affect general health.  Doctors of Chiropractic most commonly treat back and neck pain but patients are often surprised to find Doctors of Chiropractic are not limited to the back pain but also treat disorders of the nervous, muscular, and skeletal system.

What  are Doctors of Chiropractic?  Chiropractors are trained health care professionals that have been awarded the degree Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C). Also, they are required to pass four National Board Examinations and be licensed in the state, the doctor is practicing in.  The majority of chiropractors have graduated from a Bachelors of Science program intense in the sciences.  After this, Chiropractic College is an intense program emphasizing anatomy, neurology, and diagnosis.

What is an "adjustment"?  Doctors of Chiropractic use manual manipulation to restore motion to hypomobile joints (also referred to as a subluxation).  Joints of the spine and body are innervated by the nervous system.  When these joints are not moving properly due to a disorder (e.g. degeneration, disc problems, etc.),  surrounding muscles react by contracting.  The hypomobile joint and contracting musculature can also affect the surrounding nerves by pressing upon and by local inflammatory changes.  The combination of  joint, muscle, and nerve irritation can lead to future changes including joint degeneration and compensatory changes from "dealing with the pain".

Defining subluxation:  Subluxation is a term used in the chiropractic field to mean a joint that has improper movement leading to mechanical dysfunction and inflammation surrounding the joint.  This mechanical dysfunction and  inflammation affects the surrounding musculature and nerves causing pain and tenderness which can lead to pain radiation or referral other areas of the body producing numbness, tingling, or pain.  Through treatment of surrounding musculature and manual manipulation mechanical dysfunctions and inflammation can be eliminated.

What does the research say?  The Merrill Clinic of Chiropractic has and will continue to base treatment off of continued research not only in the field of chiropractic but other health care fields to allow our Doctors of Chiropractic to address all of a patient's health needs.

Follow these links for organizations that can help you learn more about the benefits of chiropractic!

» Maine Chiropractic Association  - The state of Maine's Chiropractic Organization.
» American Chiropractic Association - America's prominent chiropractic organization.  Patient information and links within.

Route 1 (2550 Post Rd), Wells, ME 04090 | P: (207) 985 - 2428 | Licensed & Insured