The terrible triad of pregnancy?!?!
If you're like many, you probably never heard of it.
You've probably only heard of the “terrible triad” and how this devastating injury affects athletes - a torn ACL, MCL, and medial meniscus of the knee.
But, there too is a terrible triad of pregnancy...doesn't require surgery but it can be just as unpleasant none the less.
So, what is the terrible triad of pregnancy?
The Terrible Triad of Pregnancy
1. Weight gain.
Predominately occurring in the third trimester, women naturally gain weight. A developing baby typically adds 3.5 pounds and 5.5 inches of growth during this phase.
The growth of the baby also compresses the diaphragm and ribs, possibly restricting breathing therefore making a full inhalation seemingly impossible.
Let's not forget about the swollen ankles, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and indigestion that round out the affects of weight gain in the third trimester.
2. NeuroStructural Shifts of the vertebrae.
As the center of gravity of the mother shifts, due to physiologic changes, the distribution of weight to her joints are altered.
These new postures add stresses to the knees, hips, and low back which can create changes to the entire spine. The lower back and hips are tend to be most commonly affected.
Changes in gait may occur altering the load on the spine. As a result, the spine's altered biomechanics may increase the incidence of strain/sprain injuries to her spinal segments and supporting structures (Ohm, 2013).
3. Ligament changes due to hormones.
The hormones relaxin and elastin are critical to allowing the pelvis to successfully deliver the fetus.
Their function, as the name suggests, is to “relax” and create an “elastic” effect on not only the ligaments and structures of the pelvis, but the entire body.
While essential to successful birth outcomes, these powerful hormones can cause shifts in alignment and gait alterations in the third trimester. Mom may notice an increase in rolling her ankles. Experience changes in overall posture are due to her midback and neck compensating for the shift in her center of gravity.
Chiropractic care is extremely effective during pregnancy, but the doctor needs to recognize the changes in the spine and ligaments as they deliver the chiropractic adjustment.
The same adjustment given to a woman before pregnancy and in her third trimester may have different outcomes if the doctor is not familiar with prenatal chiropractic care.
The combination of these three factors adds to the likelihood of pelvic distortion or misalignment, intra-uterine constraint, and low back or hip pain.
- Pelvic distortion relates to a change in the normal alignment of the pelvis.
- Intra-uterine constraint refers to any changes in sacral positioning that could interfere with normal positioning or movement of the baby.
- Low back pain has been reported in 42.5% (Clapp, 1993) to 90% (Revelli, 1992) of pregnant women.
“There are no known contraindications to chiropractic spinal and pelvic adjustments throughout pregnancy other than those affecting any non-gravid (non-pregnant) individual (Ohm, 2013).”
The Terrible Triad in Pregnancy include changes that occur during pregnancy to ensure a successful birth. They are necessary physiological and biomechanical processes, but they can cause challenges if proper structural alignment is not maintained.
At TruCentered Chiropractic Care, we support the normal functioning of the spine and nervous system to create a healthy pregnancy and birth environment ultimately leading to a safer and easier birth for both mother and baby.
This is why we choose to care for so many pregnant moms.
We make getting started easy. Our consultation is always complimentary. Call today at 443.333.9876 to find out more.
