In one of my instagram posts, in the comments section, someone posed the question:

“…yesterday a male chiropractor told me there is no difference in adjusting a pregnant woman than there is someone who is not pregnant.  Which I thought was wild (and perhaps not accurate).  Could you comment on that here or do a post about it?  My thought is you are the perfect person to explain how adjustments can support women in that way and how it’s not 100% the same like he was saying.”

The answer: Absolutely, yes, there is a difference.  

Perhaps this chiropractor was making an attempt to assure the patient that he was fully capable of adjusting pregnant women. But that is still no excuse for spreading misinformation. A pregnant woman deserves to hear the truth about her changing body.

As belly and boobs grow, it can become very uncomfortable and nearly impossible for a woman to lay on her belly or even her side, just due to the nature of how big her belly is.  Due to the tremendous variation in belly size, treatment becomes very different patient to patient.

To help with this, I use a specialty pregnancy pillow. This pillow helps alleviate the discomfort a pregnant woman may feel and can be adjusted based on the size of her belly.  It is also compatible with my treatment table, so that women can be adjusted while lying on their belly as necessary.

Also, as pregnancy progresses, certain hormones ramp up. For example, relaxin kicks in and changes the elasticity of joints, almost making the joints hypermobile.  Naturally, this changes the course of chiropractic treatment.

I could honestly go on and on, because the differences between pregnant and non-pregnant bodies are so incredibly different.  But hopefully this will answer the question and give you an idea of why chiropractic treatment is different for pregnant and non-pregnant people.