Pregnancy is an incredible time of change. As your baby grows, your body continually adapts—your posture shifts, your centre of gravity moves forward, and the muscles, joints and ligaments surrounding your spine and pelvis experience challenging demands. For many women, these changes can come with pain or difficulty getting comfortable when working, sleeping and moving.

As a chiropractor with a focus on prenatal, postpartum and pediatric care, one of my goals is to help women stay as comfortable, mobile and active as possible throughout pregnancy as their bodies prepare for birth.

How Does Pregnancy Affect the Back and Pelvis?

Pregnancy creates significant biomechanical changes throughout the body. As the abdomen grows, the body’s centre of mass shifts and the spine adapts to accommodate the growing baby. Ligament laxity from hormonal changes affect the stability of the pelvis. These changes can alter the way forces are distributed through the back, pelvis and hips.

This may contribute to symptoms such as:

Low back pain
Pelvic discomfort
Pubic symphysis strain
Sciatica
Hip and gluteal tension
Difficulty walking, exercising, sitting or changing positions

Research confirms that low back and pelvic pain are common concerns during pregnancy and can have a meaningful impact on daily function and quality of life. Pubic symphysis dysfunction (PSD) is an area of particular interest to me. For my Masters, I focused my dissertation research on chiropractic care during pregnancy and PSD. Through my research, and in my chiropractic practice, I found evidence that chiropractic care plays a valuable role not only in managing the pain and functional limitations associated with PSD, but potentially in helping to reduce or prevent its development as pregnancy progresses (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22675223/). This reinforced for me the importance of assessing pelvic biomechanics early in pregnancy, rather than waiting until pain becomes significant, and supporting the pelvis throughout the changing physical demands of pregnancy.

How Can Chiropractic Care Help During Pregnancy?

Prenatal chiropractic care focuses primarily on the neuromusculoskeletal system—the relationship between your joints, muscles and nervous system. Treatment is adapted as your pregnancy progresses and may include gentle chiropractic adjustments, soft-tissue techniques, exercises and advice regarding posture and everyday movement. Care is individualized to help address areas of musculoskeletal restriction and reduce the physical stresses associated with your changing body so you can feel your best for work, play and sleep.

One specifically important peer-reviewed study was a randomized controlled trial involving 169 pregnant women (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23123166/). It compared standard obstetric care with a multimodal program that included manual therapy provided by chiropractic specialists, stabilization exercises and patient education. Women receiving the multimodal program experienced greater improvements in pain and disability than those receiving standard obstetric care alone.

What Is the Webster Technique for a Breech-positioned Baby?

The Webster Technique is a specific chiropractic analysis and treatment approach used with our prenatal patients. It focuses on the sacrum and pelvis and addresses the associated sacrotuberous and round ligaments. The goal is to support optimal maternal pelvic biomechanics and function as the body changes throughout pregnancy and to encourage anterior head-down fetal positioning. Unlike a version, this technique does not manually turn a baby but aligns the spine and pelvis and releases ligament tension so baby feels more comfortable to move into the head-down position.

What About Breech Babies?

Many women first hear about the Webster Technique when their baby is breech. A peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics surveyed chiropractors using the Webster Technique and reported a high proportion of changes in breech presentation following care (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12183701/). I have also found in my practice that this technique can help to make a version more effective as well as support a cesarean section, if needed.

Supporting Your Body as You Prepare for Birth

My approach to prenatal care extends beyond the treatment table. Pregnancy is an ideal time to think about how your body moves throughout the day. Depending on your individual needs and stage of pregnancy, I may also recommend strategies involving:

Movement and mobility: Staying active can help maintain strength and mobility as your body changes.

Core and pelvic stability: Appropriate exercises can support and strengthen the muscles surrounding the spine and pelvis during pregnancy and in preparation for labour and delivery.

Posture and ergonomics: Small modifications to sitting, standing, working and sleeping positions can make a significant difference in day-to-day comfort.

Multidisciplinary care: Chiropractic care often works alongside your midwife or obstetric provider, pelvic floor physiotherapist, acupuncturist or other members of your healthcare team for an integrative approach to pregnancy health.

When Should You Start Prenatal Chiropractic Care?

We recommend:

First trimester – an initial assessment prior to the increase in pregnancy weight, shift in gravity and ligament laxity. Once a month adjustments at this time can help to support the ongoing changes of pregnancy.
Second trimester – periodic care throughout pregnancy to help manage increasing musculoskeletal demands. One to two treatments a month to help keep our prenatal patients feeling good at work, for workouts, sleep and everyday activities.
Third trimester – at 32 weeks, we want baby in the head down occipital-anterior position. If the patient has been having chiropractic throughout her pregnancy, baby is often head-down at this time and we continue with a chiropractic adjustment every 2 weeks for comfort and alignment in preparation for the onset of labour. If the baby is not in the ideal position, we initiate the Webster Technique protocol of 2 treatments a week to encourage optimal fetal positioning.

Some women seek chiropractic care early in pregnancy because they already experience back or pelvic problems. The frequency of care depends on your individual presentation, symptoms, stage of pregnancy and goal.

From Bump to Birth

Pregnancy places remarkable demands on the body. Supporting your spine, pelvis, muscles and movement throughout those nine months can be one part of helping you remain comfortable, active and confident as you prepare for birth.

As a Webster Technique-certified chiropractor with a Fellowship in Chiropractic Pediatrics and a Master of Science in Chiropractic Pediatrics, I have a special interest in caring for women throughout pregnancy and into the postpartum period. My philosophy is simple: prenatal chiropractic care should be gentle, individualized, evidence-informed and integrated with the rest of your maternity care team.

Because taking care of your body during pregnancy isn’t only about getting through the next nine months—it’s about supporting you from bump to birth and beyond.