Prenatal chiropractic care
Your body reorganizes itself over nine months — the center of gravity moves forward, the ligaments soften, and the pelvis is asked to do something it has never done before. Prenatal chiropractic care is about keeping that reorganization comfortable and keeping the pelvis moving well.
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What is actually changing in there
From early pregnancy your body produces relaxin, a hormone that softens the ligaments holding your joints together — necessary, because the pelvis has to open. The consequence is that every joint becomes a little less stable at exactly the point when the load on it starts climbing.
At the same time the growing uterus pulls your center of gravity forward. Your low back curves more to compensate, your pelvis tilts, and the muscles along your spine work continuously to hold you upright. By the third trimester many women are carrying an extra twenty-five to thirty-five pounds, all of it in front, on ligaments that are deliberately looser than usual.
That combination — more load, less stability, changed geometry — is why back and pelvic pain is so common in pregnancy, and why it responds well to work aimed at the joints rather than at the muscles alone.
The pelvis, and why it gets the attention
Three joints make up the back of your pelvis: two sacroiliac joints and the pubic symphysis at the front. In pregnancy these have to move more than they ever normally do, and they have to move symmetrically.
When one sacroiliac joint restricts and the other does not, the whole pelvis sits and works asymmetrically. That shows up as the classic one-sided ache low across the back, and as pubic pain when you do anything that separates your legs — rolling over, getting out of the car, stairs. Restoring even motion to those joints is most of what prenatal chiropractic care is.
There is also a soft-tissue side. The round ligaments that support the uterus attach into the pelvis; the uterosacral ligaments attach to the sacrum. When the pelvis is torqued, those ligaments are under uneven tension, and that tension is part of what determines how much room the baby has to move into a good position.
What a visit is like
Gentle, and shorter than you expect. Dr. Tyler will ask how far along you are, how the pregnancy is going, and who else is caring for you. He will check how each pelvic joint is moving, and adjust the ones that are restricted using low force and pregnancy-appropriate positioning.
We work with your midwife or obstetrician, not instead of them. Chiropractic care does not manage your pregnancy, and anything clinical about the pregnancy itself belongs with them. If something you describe should be reviewed by them, we will say so plainly and expect you to go.
Between visits
We will show you which side to sleep on and how to prop yourself so your top leg does not drag your pelvis out of position all night — the single change most women say helped the most. And a request: when you carry the baby afterwards, alternate hips. Everyone has a favorite side, and it is always the same one that ends up in here.
Come and find out what is actually going on
Consultation, full examination, any x-rays you need and your first adjustment — $45, one appointment.
Questions people ask
Is chiropractic safe during pregnancy?
Adjustments are routinely performed through all three trimesters. What changes is the technique and the positioning — never lying flat on your front, reduced force, and specific attention to the pelvis and sacroiliac joints. Tell us you are pregnant at the very first contact, including how far along you are, so the whole visit is set up correctly from the start.
How do I lie down when I cannot lie on my stomach?
You do not have to. We position you on your side with support, or use adjusting tables and techniques designed for a pregnant abdomen. Comfort is not a courtesy here — you cannot relax the muscles we need to relax if you are uncomfortable, so it is part of the treatment working.
Can this turn a breech baby?
We will not promise that, and you should be sceptical of anyone who does. What chiropractic care addresses is pelvic alignment and the tension in the ligaments that support the uterus — the room the baby has to work with. Some women in that situation report a change and some do not. Your midwife or obstetrician manages breech presentation; we work alongside them.
When should I start, and how often should I come?
Any point in pregnancy is a reasonable place to start, including before you conceive. Many women come occasionally through the first trimester and more regularly in the third, when the load is greatest and delivery is approaching. Your schedule should follow your symptoms, not a calendar somebody printed.
What about after the baby arrives?
The postpartum weeks put their own demands on your body — feeding postures, carrying a car seat on one arm, and ligaments that are still soft for months afterward. Plenty of our patients come for the first time after delivery rather than during pregnancy.