Local Chiropractor Offers Pain Relief to Pregnant Women

Kevin Cressey is one of Pasadena’s finest chiropractors – as well as an avid hiker who knows too well the toll that physical activity can take on the body – but lately he has babies and mothers-to-be on his mind. Dr. Cressey recently had a newborn, which has led him to approach his profession – and the human body – in quite a different light.

“I certainly have a lot more information and interest in prenatal care now after having my newborn,” he says cheerily. “I’m definitely interested in kids. When you have a newborn, you see a lot of pregnant women; you see a lot of babies.”

“It’s opened my awareness, helping moms with prenatal care and working with other professionals in the prenatal field. It’s something that’s been really interesting and new for me.”

Chiropractic is essentially the maintenance of the spinal column, discs, related nerves and bone geometry without drugs or surgery. It’s the art and science of adjusting misaligned joints of the body, especially of the spine, which reduces spinal nerve stress and therefore promotes health throughout the whole body. But what link does it have to pregnancy?

“What’s happening is during the birth process, the hips aren’t moving as well as they should,” Dr Cressey explains. “That’s often what happens to create or cause back pain, or even stomach pain. It’s something I’ve been uniquely trained in – the Webster technique – to help women with pregnancy adjustments.”

In fact, investing in the fertility and wellbeing of women who are pregnant or trying to conceive is a routine care for most chiropractors. During pregnancy, there are many physiological changes that take place in preparation for hosting the developing baby, which can cause problems to the spine. Chiropractic can actually help control nausea, relieve back, neck or joint pain, reduce the time of labor and delivery, and even prevent the need for a Caesarean delivery.

The care is also relatively straightforward.

“I use these very nice bolster pillows that support the mother in a really good way,” Dr. Cressey explains. “I check the tension on the hips and exert a bit of pressure to change and normalize it, give a very delicate massage to the round ligament in order to help it release, give a mild specific adjustment, and that’s pretty much it.”

It must be quite the experience to go from treating athletes and active adults to mothers and their babies.

“To see what a difference it can make to a patient who’s gone through care as a pregnant mother and their vitality after they have their child, and to see how happy and pain-free they are is truly amazing,” he says.

For more information contact Dr. Kevin Cressey at (626) 792-1221 or visit www.kevincresseydc.moonfruit.com