Chiropractic Care While Pregnant

Today, I finally got around to seeing my favorite pregnancy chiropractor. Yes, indeed, there are chiropractors that specifically treat pregnant women, and yes, it is safe.

I go for a chiropractic massage, which is 45 minutes of targeted massage done by the chiropactor himself. This time, it was for sciatica-like pain in my right hip, possibly from all that weird sleeping you do when you’re pregnant. (Left side, right side, slightly tilted on your back, left side pillow between your knees, etc.) I’ve been meaning to see him for months now, but you know how life is with a toddler.

I go in, lie on the table and he gently nudges both sides of my hips. “Ow,” I say as he digs in a little on the right side. “Yeah,” he says, “that side’s much more mad than the other side.” It’s a strange feeling, since unlike other muscle aches and pains, I hadn’t even realized the muscles in my hips were sore until he poked the exact spot.

He starts in on the non-sore side. Just as it occurs to me that the other side is going to be really uncomfortable once he gets there, he beats me to it. “Let’s put some heat on the other side to start, or you’re really not going to like how it feels.” The heat on my butt and hips is oddly divine and I make a mental note to put a heating pad or hot watter bottle on it at home once in a while.

The chiropractor gets going on the sore side and the heat has helped tremendously. Now, the massage just feels good, and I’m day-dreaming of my future free-range of movement when I get home. Before I know it, he’s done and I go into his adjustment office. I lie in various posed positions and he cracks my hips, back and neck. There’s that moment of heightened soreness and then relief, as he has me go through some walking motions while he checks my alignment again. I feel like a new woman, even pregnant.

I tend to go to him throughout the pregnancy as long as something hurts or aches and he does a magical job of fixing it. While I was expecting Spice, I saw him in the last few weeks for more hip-opening adjustments, and I swear it helped her drop down on time and get labor going well.

Have you ever done chiropractic while pregnant, or considered it? Curious minds want to know.