The Forward-Leaning Inversion is one of the most important exercises to accompany prenatal chiropractic care. It uses gravity to create room in the lower uterus for baby to utilize. The technique originally came from chiropractor Dr. Carol Phillips from Dynamic Body Balancing.

Check out this video from a mentor of mine down in Florida to see for yourself exactly how this works. Obviously, if you have any questions, feel free to ask at your next appointment in our office (or if you aren’t currently a patient, you can schedule a consultation right through this website). I like this video, though, because our chiropractic tables are a bit too high to properly demo this for our pregnant mommas!

The Forward Leaning Inversion is amazing for your prenatal care

Coupled with Webster Technique and Prenatal Chiropractic Care, the forward-leaning inversion helps to untwist any ligaments attaching to the lower uterus and the cervix from abnormal posture.

This exercise is one that we recommend for all pregnant women without contraindications and is one we especially recommend for women with breech positioning or fetal malposition. If fetal malposition is pregnancy, we recommend following this with the Breech Tilt for 5-20 minutes.

There are a few things to keep in mind, however. If you aren’t under care in our office, make sure you consult your OB/midwife/doula and/or prenatal chiropractor before performing any stretches or exercises. If you aren’t a patient in our office, we’d love to have you in for a consultation. Don’t do this stretch if you have reflux, glaucoma, hypertension, are at an increased risk of stroke, or have very elevated amniotic fluid levels.

I recommend doing this at a minimum once daily (shoot for two to three times a day). Hold it for ~30 seconds, or about three breaths.

DIRECTIONS FOR INCORPORATING FORWARD LEANING INVERSION INTO PRENATAL CHIROPRACTIC CARE

1. Knee on the edge of a couch or stairs.

   

2. Hold the edge of the couch or stairs and carefully lower your hands to the floor and then lower down to your forearms as in the picture above. I recommend having your partner around to hold your legs for stability as well as help you with positioning should you need it.
3. Let your head hang freely, don’t rest it on the ground. You may need to straighten your shoulders to make room for your head.
4. Your bottom should be the highest part and higher than your knees. Move your hips slightly if you feel like it, flatten your lower back to really get your hips up and make room for your pelvis.
5. Take 3 breaths.
6. Slowly come back to your hands, lift yourself to a kneeling position, take a few more breaths, then sit on your heels. This is where the magic of the technique is — so go slow and create space!

Note: If you feel any pain or discomfort, please stop. Sometimes our body will respond with a throbbing head the first couple times, so back off and try again later. Always consult your doctor if you experience any of these issues.

Round ligament pain or spasm will sometimes occur, which is another reason we highly highly highly encourage prenatal chiropractic care during pregnancy for all mothers. Make sure are getting adjusted by an ICPA trained chiropractor throughout pregnancy to ensure the healthiest, happiest birth possible. It is OK to repeat the inversion for 30 seconds even if this spasm occurs.

A pain, especially an abdominal pain, that persists for longer than a few minutes or is severe requires attention. Report this pain to your healthcare providers.

Do not perform this activity if you have a suspected or known problem involving the placenta (including any bleeding) or if you have idiopathic uterine pain. If baby starts having frantic vigorous movements get assessed immediately.

This technique works best when part of a plan or protocol: please contact the office at 732-945-5033 or utilize the website to schedule an initial prenatal consultation in our office so we can go on this journey together!