Chiropractic during pregnancy is mainly about helping with the back and pelvic pain that so many pregnant women get, using positions and techniques adapted to a changing body. It is generally considered safe when your pregnancy is uncomplicated, your doctor or midwife is happy for you to go, and the chiropractor is trained and registered. The research suggests it may help some women, but the evidence is limited, and exercise has the strongest support of anything studied. This guide covers why pregnancy back pain happens, how it differs from pelvic girdle pain, when chiropractic is not suitable, how a visit changes as your pregnancy goes on, what helps at home, and the months after birth.
Key takeaways
- Is chiropractic safe during pregnancy?
- For most women with an uncomplicated pregnancy, care from a trained, registered chiropractor is generally considered safe. Check with your doctor first, and avoid it with bleeding, placenta problems, an ectopic pregnancy or pre-eclampsia.
- How common is back pain in pregnancy?
- Very. Around 45 percent of pregnant women have pelvic girdle pain, low back pain or both, and about a quarter still have it after giving birth.
- Does chiropractic help pregnancy back pain?
- It may help some women, but the evidence is limited. Exercise has the strongest support, which is why chiropractic in pregnancy works best alongside it.
- What changes at a chiropractor when you are pregnant?
- No X-rays, positioning on your side or seated with pillows as the bump grows, nothing pressing on the abdomen, and gentler techniques adapted to softer ligaments.
- What helps pregnancy back pain at home?
- Staying active, sleeping on your side with a pillow between your knees, keeping your knees together when you turn over, taking smaller steps and not carrying loads on one hip.
Why pregnancy brings back pain and pelvic pain
Back and pelvic pain are among the most common discomforts of pregnancy. A widely cited review estimated that around 45 percent of pregnant women have pregnancy related pelvic girdle pain, low back pain or both, and that about a quarter still have it after giving birth. Other estimates put pregnancy back pain higher still.
Several changes come together:
- Weight and posture. As the bump grows, your centre of gravity moves forward and the lower back tends to arch more to balance it.
- Hormones. The hormone relaxin, among others, softens the ligaments of the pelvis so it can widen for birth. That same softening can leave the pelvic joints less stable and more sensitive.
- Muscles under strain. The abdominal muscles stretch and do less of their usual job of supporting the spine, so the back muscles work harder.
- Daily life. Lifting a toddler, long hours at a desk, poor sleep and commuting all add load to a body that is already adapting.
Pregnancy back pain or pelvic girdle pain?
They often get lumped together, but they behave differently, and that changes what helps.
| Pregnancy low back pain | Pelvic girdle pain | |
|---|---|---|
| Where you feel it | Lower back, above the waist and the pelvis | Over the back of the pelvis near the dimples, in the buttocks, or at the front over the pubic bone |
| What sets it off | Standing or sitting for long, bending, lifting | Walking, climbing stairs, turning over in bed, standing on one leg to dress, getting out of a car |
| How it feels | An ache that may be similar to back pain you have had before | Often sharp or catching, sometimes with a clicking feeling at the front of the pelvis |
| What tends to help | Movement, posture changes, strengthening, hands on care | Keeping the legs together when turning or getting out of a car, smaller steps, pacing, a support belt for some women, targeted exercise |
Some women have both. An assessment sorts out which you have, because pelvic girdle pain in particular needs the load on the pelvis managed day to day, not only in the clinic.
Is chiropractic safe during pregnancy?
For most women with an uncomplicated pregnancy, chiropractic care from a trained and registered practitioner is generally considered safe. Serious problems are rare in the published reports, though the reporting is patchy, so it is better to describe them as rare than to call the care risk free.
Chiropractic adjustment is not suitable, and you should speak to your doctor first, if you have:
- Vaginal bleeding
- Placenta praevia or placental abruption
- A known or suspected ectopic pregnancy
- Pre-eclampsia, or blood pressure your doctor is monitoring
- Been told by your obstetrician or midwife to avoid manual therapy
Get medical care straight away, rather than booking a chiropractor, for any of these in pregnancy:
- Bleeding, or fluid leaking from the vagina
- Your baby moving less than usual
- A severe headache, changes in your vision, or sudden swelling of your face, hands or feet
- Pain, swelling or redness in one calf
- Fever, or burning when you pass urine with back pain
- Back pain that comes and goes in waves, or tightenings before 37 weeks, which can be a sign of labour
How a chiropractic visit changes as your pregnancy goes on
The assessment follows the same careful steps as for any patient: a full history, looking at how you stand and move, and checking how each joint of the spine and pelvis moves. What changes is how it is done.
- No X-ray. Imaging is avoided during pregnancy unless there is a compelling medical reason.
- Positioning. Early on, much of the work can be done as usual. As the bump grows, you are positioned on your side or seated, with pillows and supports, and nothing presses on your abdomen.
- Gentler force. Adjustments are adapted to the softer ligaments of pregnancy, and the approach is adjusted as your pregnancy progresses.
- Tell us how far along you are when you book, and bring your antenatal card or any notes from your doctor.
- Some techniques are set aside. For example, we choose a different approach to dry needling during pregnancy.
You may have read about the Webster Technique, a chiropractic method aimed at the pelvis in pregnancy. Some websites claim it turns breech babies or shortens labour. Those claims rest mainly on practitioner surveys rather than controlled trials, and we do not make them. If your baby is breech, that is a conversation for your obstetrician.
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What the research says about chiropractic for pregnancy back pain
The honest summary is that it may help some women, and the evidence is limited. A 2020 systematic review of chiropractic care for pregnancy related low back and pelvic girdle pain rated the evidence for chiropractic care on low back pain as inconclusive but favourable, and noted a lack of conclusive evidence overall.
A Cochrane review of the many approaches tried for back and pelvic pain in pregnancy found the quality of evidence ranged from moderate to low. It found exercise on land reduced pain and disability, and that manual therapy, or a combined programme of manual therapy, exercise and education, may also be of benefit. That is why, at our clinic, chiropractic in pregnancy usually goes hand in hand with exercises from our physiotherapy side rather than standing alone.
What helps pregnancy back pain at home
Most of what helps is simple and worth starting whether or not you see anyone:
- Keep active. Walking, swimming and pregnancy exercise classes all count. Our gentle yoga classes include a Chair Yoga session suitable in pregnancy with your doctor's go ahead.
- Sleep on your side with a pillow between your knees, and another under the bump if it helps.
- Turn over as a unit. Keep your knees together when you roll in bed or swing your legs out of the car.
- Take smaller steps and avoid standing on one leg, such as when putting on trousers. Sit down to dress.
- Share the load. Avoid lifting toddlers, groceries or laundry baskets on one hip, and ask for help.
- Use heat with care. A warm, not hot, compress on the lower back is fine for many women. Avoid hot baths, saunas and heat packs on the bump.
- Check pain relief with your doctor before taking anything, including balms and patches.
Back pain after birth
Back and pelvic pain often eases in the weeks after delivery, but for around a quarter of women it lingers. Feeding positions, lifting a car seat, broken sleep and abdominal muscles that are still recovering all play a part.
Gentle movement and pelvic floor and core exercises are usually the starting point, once your doctor has checked you at your postnatal review. It is sensible to wait until that check, and longer after a caesarean, before starting hands on care. Pain that is getting worse, a fever, or pain with leg weakness or numbness after birth needs your doctor first. For many new mums, a few changes help: bring the baby up to you rather than leaning down to feed, and lift the car seat close to your body.
Other stages of a woman's life
Back and joint needs change at other times too. Some teenage girls notice back or neck aches during growth spurts and heavy school bag years. Around menopause, falling oestrogen affects bone density and many women notice more joint stiffness, which makes strength and balance work more important over time. Period pain, endometriosis and hormonal conditions belong first with your doctor or gynaecologist. Where back or pelvic pain is part of the picture, an assessment can look at the musculoskeletal side, but chiropractic is not a substitute for that medical care.
Frequently asked questions
Which trimester is best to see a chiropractor?
There is no single best trimester. Many women come in during the second or third trimester, when the bump and the load on the back and pelvis increase. If pain starts earlier, it is fine to be assessed earlier, with your doctor’s agreement.
Can a chiropractor turn a breech baby?
We do not claim that. The idea comes mainly from practitioner surveys rather than controlled trials. If your baby is breech, talk to your obstetrician, who can explain the options that have been properly studied.
Will chiropractic make labour easier or shorter?
There is no good evidence that it does, and we do not promise it. The aim of care in pregnancy is to help you feel more comfortable and move more easily while you are pregnant.
Can I lie on my front for an adjustment while pregnant?
Not once the bump is growing. You are positioned on your side or seated, with pillows and supports, so nothing presses on your abdomen. Early in pregnancy, some positions can be used as usual.
When can I see a chiropractor after giving birth?
It is sensible to wait until your postnatal check with your doctor, and longer after a caesarean. Gentle movement and pelvic floor exercises usually come first. Pain that is getting worse, fever, or leg weakness or numbness after birth needs your doctor before anyone else.
The bottom line
Back and pelvic pain are common in pregnancy, and they are not something you simply have to put up with. Keeping active, sleeping on your side and changing how you move are the first steps. Chiropractic care, adapted for pregnancy and combined with exercise, may help some women feel more comfortable, provided your pregnancy is uncomplicated and your doctor is on board. If you are in Cheras or around Kuala Lumpur and pregnancy back pain is getting in the way, tell us how far along you are when you message, and we will talk you through whether a visit makes sense.