Chiropractic care during pregnancy is safe, gentle, and – for many expecting mothers in Montrose and the surrounding foothill communities – one of the most effective ways to manage the physical demands of a growing pregnancy. At The Chiropractic Place, Dr. Brian Miller holds a Fellowship with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (FICPA), which includes specific training in prenatal care. That certification matters when you’re choosing who to trust with your body during one of the most significant physical experiences of your life.
Why Pregnancy Changes Your Spine
Pregnancy creates a cascade of physical changes that affect the spine from the first trimester through delivery. The most visible is the shift in your center of gravity as your belly grows – but the effects go well beyond that.
Your body releases a hormone called relaxin during pregnancy, which loosens the ligaments throughout the pelvis to prepare for childbirth. That increased joint mobility is necessary, but it also means the pelvis and sacrum are less stable and more prone to misalignment. As the baby grows and weight redistributes, the lumbar curve deepens, the upper back rounds forward to compensate, and the entire spine works harder to maintain balance.
The result for many pregnant women is a combination of lower back pain, pelvic discomfort, sciatica-like symptoms down the leg, and upper back or rib tension that worsens as the pregnancy progresses. These aren’t just normal discomforts to endure – they’re structural issues that respond well to care.
Is Chiropractic Care Safe During Pregnancy?
This is the first question almost every expectant mother asks, and it deserves a direct answer: yes, when performed by a chiropractor trained in prenatal care, chiropractic adjustments are safe throughout pregnancy.
The key word is trained. Prenatal chiropractic uses modified techniques and positioning that accommodate a growing belly and protect the mother and baby. Dr. Brian Miller’s FICPA certification reflects specific post-graduate training in exactly this area. He has provided pregnancy and pediatric chiropractic care as part of his practice for decades, and it’s one of the areas where his credentials genuinely set him apart from general practitioners.
There are specific contraindications – situations where chiropractic during pregnancy would not be appropriate – and we review those carefully during your initial consultation. For the vast majority of healthy pregnancies, chiropractic care is not only safe but beneficial.
What Prenatal Chiropractic Can Help With
Lower Back Pain and Pelvic Discomfort
Lower back pain affects the majority of pregnant women, often starting in the second trimester and worsening as the pregnancy progresses. Pelvic pain – sometimes called pelvic girdle pain – can make walking, climbing stairs, and turning over in bed genuinely difficult. Chiropractic adjustments targeted at the lumbar spine and sacroiliac joints can reduce this pain and restore more normal movement patterns.
Sciatica During Pregnancy
The growing uterus can put pressure on the sciatic nerve, creating that familiar radiating pain, tingling, or numbness down through the hip and leg. For many pregnant women, this is one of the most debilitating symptoms of the third trimester. Chiropractic care can reduce the nerve irritation at the source without any medication – which matters when you’re pregnant and trying to limit what goes into your body.
Round Ligament Pain
The round ligaments support the uterus and stretch significantly during pregnancy. When the pelvis is misaligned, additional strain is placed on these ligaments, amplifying the sharp or aching pain many women feel in the lower abdomen or groin. Restoring pelvic alignment often reduces round ligament tension considerably.
Optimal Baby Positioning
This is one of the aspects of prenatal chiropractic that surprises many patients. The Webster Technique – a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment approach used during pregnancy – focuses on reducing sacral and pelvic misalignment and the associated soft tissue tension. When the pelvis is properly balanced, the uterus has more symmetrical space, which can support optimal baby positioning as the due date approaches. This is a discussion worth having with your OB or midwife as well, and we’re happy to coordinate care with your primary provider.
Upper Back and Rib Discomfort
As the thoracic spine rounds forward to compensate for a shifting center of gravity, ribs can become restricted and tender. Breathing can feel more effortful. Upper back aches that didn’t exist before pregnancy become a daily reality. Gentle thoracic adjustments and soft tissue work can provide real relief here.
What Prenatal Adjustments Actually Feel Like
Many women come in expecting the adjustments to feel like what they’ve heard about or seen – dramatic, forceful, loud. Prenatal adjustments are different.
We use positioning that keeps you comfortable throughout the visit, including specialized support that allows you to lie face-down safely even in later stages of pregnancy. Techniques are gentler than standard adjustments, and instrument-assisted approaches are often used, which apply precise, targeted force without any high-velocity movement. Most patients describe the experience as comfortable and leave feeling noticeably less tight and more mobile.
How Often Should You Come In During Pregnancy?
This varies depending on how far along you are, what symptoms you’re experiencing, and how your body is responding to care. Some women come in once a month through the second trimester and increase frequency in the third as the physical demands grow. Others with more significant discomfort benefit from more regular visits earlier on.
We’ll give you a realistic recommendation after your initial evaluation and adjust as your pregnancy progresses. The goal is to keep you as comfortable and functional as possible throughout – not to create a dependency on visits.
Continuing Care After Delivery
Delivery – whether vaginal or by cesarean – puts significant physical demands on the body. The postpartum period often comes with its own set of spinal issues: the strain of labor, the position held during delivery, nursing posture, and carrying a newborn all create new physical challenges.
Many of the mothers we care for during pregnancy continue with postpartum care as they recover and adjust to life with a new baby. And when the time is right, pediatric chiropractic care for infants is also something Dr. Brian provides – using techniques specifically adapted for a newborn’s delicate spine and nervous system.
A Practice That Has Cared for Montrose Families for Over 40 Years
Dr. Brian Miller has treated pregnant patients, delivered their babies’ first adjustments, and continued caring for those children as they’ve grown up – in some cases long enough to see them come back as adults bringing their own children. That kind of generational relationship doesn’t happen at a corporate chain or a practice with revolving-door providers.
It happens because the care is good, the approach is honest, and the practice genuinely knows its patients. If you’re expecting and wondering whether prenatal chiropractic might be right for you, we’d be glad to have that conversation.
Call us at (818) 249-2300 or visit our contact page to schedule. New patients are always welcome, and we offer a new patient special to make it easy to get started.
