Chiropractic Care After Having a Baby in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

The months after a birth are hard on a spine. You are lifting a weight that gets heavier every week, holding one position for long stretches while you feed, and doing it on broken sleep. Tradewinds Chiropractic & Wellness in Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas sees new mothers for low back, pelvic, neck and upper back pain after delivery. This page covers what causes that pain, what helps at home, and which symptoms belong with your obstetric provider or the emergency room instead.

What postpartum pain usually feels like

• A deep ache across the low back that is worst by the end of the day.
• Pain at the back of the pelvis, often on one side, that flares when you roll over in bed or climb stairs.
• Neck pain and a tight band between the shoulder blades, sometimes with a headache at the base of the skull, from hours looking down at a feeding baby.
• Shoulder soreness from carrying the baby on the same hip every time.
• Wrist and thumb pain from scooping the baby up under the arms.
• Tailbone soreness that makes a hard chair hurt.

Most of it eases as strength returns. Pain that is getting worse is worth an exam.

Why the postpartum body hurts

Several things happen at once, and none of them mean something went wrong.

Ligaments stay loose. The hormones that softened the pelvic ligaments for delivery take time to settle, so the pelvis and sacroiliac joints tolerate less load for months. How long is different for every woman.

The abdominal wall has been stretched and is deconditioned. When the front of the trunk is not holding its share, the low back muscles and pelvic joints take the extra work. The pelvic floor is usually deconditioned too. That part of recovery belongs with your obstetric provider, and is worth asking them about a referral to a pelvic health physical therapist. It is not something a chiropractor treats.

Then there is the new job. Feeding holds you in one rounded position for hours, lifting happens at awkward angles, and sleep deprivation lowers pain tolerance and slows recovery.

Changes at home that actually help

Feeding. Bring the baby up to you rather than curling down to the baby. Support your arms on pillows or the chair arm, keep your back against something, and change chairs and sides through the day.

The carrier. The baby rides high and close, weight on your hips rather than your shoulders, straps even and the chest strap fastened. Worn loose and low, it pulls your upper body forward all day. Switch the hip you carry on and the shoulder the diaper bag hangs from.

The car seat. Usually the heaviest lift you do. Get close to the car first, keep the seat against your body rather than at arm's length, and turn your feet rather than twisting.

How we treat it at Tradewinds

Care starts with a history and a hands-on exam, and stays inside what a chiropractor should be doing: joints, muscles, and the spine. Dr. Bradley Keys uses low-force work on the pelvis, sacroiliac joints and low back while the ligaments are lax, gentle adjustment and soft tissue work for the mid-back, ribs and neck, and treatment for wrist and thumb pain from lifting. Rebuilding load tolerance with rehabilitation exercise is part of it. See spinal rehabilitation and what to expect.

Dr. Keys is comfortable seeing new mothers within a few days of delivery, after a vaginal birth or a C-section. After a C-section we keep pressure away from the incision and follow any restrictions your obstetric provider has given you. Tell us about any complications during delivery or recovery. Babies are welcome in the treatment room.

We do not make claims about milk supply, infant feeding, colic, or the pelvic floor and abdominal wall. Those go to your obstetric provider.

Dr. Keys is the Chair of the Virgin Islands Board of Chiropractic Examiners, a member of the Virgin Islands Chiropractic Society, and the International Chiropractors Association representative for the U.S. Virgin Islands.

See also our pregnancy, lower back pain, SI joint pain, neck pain and upper back pain pages.

When you should see someone else

Some symptoms after a birth are medical emergencies, not chiropractic problems. Call 911 for chest pain or shortness of breath. Call your obstetric provider the same day, or go to the nearest emergency room, for any of these:

• Bleeding that gets heavier again, soaks a pad in an hour, or passes large clots.
• Fever or chills, or an incision or area that is hot, red, swollen or draining.
• A severe headache, changes in your vision, or new swelling of the face and hands. Preeclampsia can start days or weeks after delivery and is an emergency.
• Pain, swelling, redness or warmth in one calf, which can mean a clot.
• New numbness in the saddle area, leg weakness that is getting worse, or new trouble emptying your bladder or controlling your bowel. Stress leakage when you cough or sneeze is common after a birth and is different, but anything new or worsening needs same-day assessment.

Feeling hopeless, or thoughts of harming yourself or the baby, also needs a call to your obstetric provider or 911 today.

Tell us about any of these even if they seem minor. See also when back pain is an emergency.

Getting seen

Call (340) 690-4994 to book. We take walk-ins and same-day appointments. We are at the VI Medical Foundation Building, Suite 202, 9150 Estate Thomas, St. Thomas, USVI 00802. Hours are Mon, Wed, Thu: 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Tue, Fri: 7:00 am to 2:00 pm. Closed Sat and Sun. New patient forms are at forms. Tradewinds Chiropractic has more than 180 five-star Google reviews.

Questions patients ask

Can I see a chiropractor after giving birth?

Yes, for musculoskeletal problems: low back and pelvic pain, neck and upper back pain from feeding and carrying, and wrist and thumb pain from lifting the baby. Dr. Keys is comfortable seeing new mothers within a few days of delivery, after a vaginal birth or a C-section. Tell us about any complications during delivery or recovery, and call (340) 690-4994 to book an exam.

How long after having a baby can I see a chiropractor?

Dr. Keys is comfortable seeing new mothers within a few days of delivery, after a vaginal birth or a C-section. After a C-section we keep pressure away from the incision and follow any restrictions your obstetric provider has given you. If you had other complications, tell us when you book.

Why does my back hurt so much after having a baby?

Usually three things together. The pelvic ligaments stay loose for months while hormones settle, so the pelvis tolerates less load. The abdominal wall is stretched and deconditioned, so the low back does more of the work. And feeding, carrying and lifting a car seat hold you in positions that load the spine, on far less sleep than you are used to.

Can I bring my baby to the appointment?

Yes. Babies are welcome in the treatment room. Call (340) 690-4994 to book.

Is postpartum care different from care during pregnancy?

The technique is still low force, but the problem has changed. In pregnancy the issue is a shifting center of gravity and a growing belly. After delivery it is a loose pelvis, a deconditioned trunk, and hours a day in feeding and carrying positions, so rehabilitation exercise and changes to how you lift matter more than they did before.