By Dr Karli Plowright
(Family Wellness Chiropractor + Exercise Scientist)
Nomad Chiropractic Mosman
*If you are experiencing severe headaches, call your pregnancy professional: midwife/obstetrician/health care GP immediately.
There are many changes going on in the body during pregnancy, which is why occasionally headaches can be experienced. This can be due to and or associated with the obvious increase in blood volume in the body, your changes in body posture and weight, the hormones being released and tension on the spine. Other sources of headaches may be likely to be coming from vertebral restrictions, poor neck posture, altered biomechanics of the jaw, neck and or upper back.
Migraine, tension type, sinus and cervicogenic are all common headaches that can present at any stage through life, and now when pregnant they can too present.
Headaches during your first trimester of pregnancy are most commonly caused by dehydration, nausea/vomiting, stress, lack of sleep, little physical activity or could be from food triggers, such as dairy, chocolate or tomatoes.
Headaches in the second and third trimesters are more commonly due to the body changes, extra weight, posture, muscle strain and tightness.
Recommendations for headaches during your pregnancy:
My recommendations if you are experiencing headaches is to include:
* physical activity to your routine;
* get regular sleep;
* eat regularly;
* drink plenty of water;
* rest often - you’re growing a human(s) !
* manage stress;
* seek professional help if you’re unsure, concerned, or if it’s like a headache you’ve never had before…
Headaches can also be a healthy reminder that the body needs more water. Your local Chiropractor’s love working with pregnant mothers so come on up to get a check and see what the cause of your headaches are.
!!! Further to this there are three types of hypertension headaches in pregnancy which require the assistance of your obstetrician, midwife or GP and they include:
Chronic hypertension, Gestational hypertension - mostly common to present around 20 weeks and Pre-Eclampsia. Pre-Eclampsia is associated with severe frontal headaches, abdominal pain, sudden onset of swelling in the face, hands and or feet, nausea/vomiting. Although preeclampsia only develops in up to 10% of pregnant women. *If you are experiencing severe headaches, call your pregnancy professional: midwife/obstetrician/health care GP immediately.
Chiropractic care may help some pregnancy related headaches (but not all). Chiropractic care may help settle and keep the nervous system healthy through adjustments to the spine and extremity as well as cranial movements! Your nervous system is the command center for your entire body and sometimes it needs care to keep working effectively. So if you are feeling some nervous system symptoms, get adjusted, eat a healthy diet and keep moving!
Questions? Get in touch!
Till next time,
Chiro Karli :)
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Book in online with your Mosman Chiropractors Lucy Bartlett, Olly Kerr, Kristin Webb and locum Sandy Ghobrial at www.nomadchiropractic.com.au
Located at: Suite 1, 563 Military Road Mosman NSW 2088 (Rear entry)
Ph 02 9969 7503
www.nomadchiropractic.com.au
For More Information head to: www.nomadchiropractic.com.au/chiro-research
For more information follow us on Instagram! @nomad_chiro
*Note: Karli Plowright moved back to WA in December 2022 and as such is no longer a practitioner at Nomad Chiropractic in Mosman. All of the practitioners at Nomad Chiropractic are trained in the above.