How is chiropractic care beneficial during pregnancy?

S/I joint dysfunction commonly affects pregnant women and can lead to pelvic misalignment, tightening and torsion of specific pelvic muscles and ligaments, back pain, and more.

Tense muscles and ligaments and their aberrant effect on the uterus may prevent the baby from comfortably assuming the best possible position for birth.

The Webster Technique is a specific diversified chiropractic adjustment that helps to restore proper pelvic balance and function. The goal of the adjustment is to reduce the effects of S/I joint dysfunction.

Since its inception 30 years ago, the Webster Technique has been linked with improved pregnancy outcomes in clinical studies.*

*To learn more visit https://icpa4kids.com/research/

Dr. Justin and Dr. Chrissy Ohm Family Chiropractic are both certified in the Webster Technique. You can book an appointment with them here.

Can chiropractors turn breech babies?

Chiropractic is about unraveling restrictions in the physical structure and nervous system so that the body can function the way it's supposed to, and the same goes for a woman's body throughout pregnancy.

In the absence of tension in the muscles and ligaments of the pelvis and uterus, babies naturally seek to move into optimal birth positioning on their own.

While chiropractors can't "turn" breech babies, they can provide a specific and gentle adjustment to a pregnant mother's spine and pelvis, which can help create more space in the pelvis and uterus for baby to do what baby needs to do - get into the best position for birth, which is head down!

Learn more about the Webster Technique.

Should I still come in if I’m 35+ weeks and my baby is breech?

When a baby is breech, it can be due to something in the pelvis restricting the normal movement. A chiropractic adjustment can locate and remove those restrictions, allowing for proper biomechanical movement of the pelvis. In turn, the tense muscles and ligaments attached to the pelvis and uterus relax, giving baby the space to get into the best position for birth.

Rather than orienting to one specific outcome as the goal of seeking care during pregnancy, which can actually add more stress and tension, the aim of perinatal chiropractic is to go into birth with optimal pelvic balance and functioning. No matter where you are in your pregnancy (or life) chiropractic supports your body’s innate adaptability.

Can chiropractic help with feeding challenges and tongue tie?

Your baby must be able to open his or her mouth wide enough to get much of your areola into the mouth because the milk ducts are deep within the breast tissue. If baby can't open his mouth widely, he will be clamping down on your nipple and struggling to access the deep milk ducts; making milk transfer much harder. He must work much harder than he should to feed and might tire easily, fall asleep at the breast, and/or feed too often in order to feel full.

The jaw, or temporomandibular joint (TMJ), is the union of the Temporal bone, which sits just lateral to the upper neck, and the Mandible. Your baby’s cranium and spine are not fused and are very pliable. Issues of abnormal in-utero positioning and the birth process can cause these bones to shift out of normal alignment.

Your baby must also have the normal use of his tongue to feed well. Your baby must be able to squeeze your breast tissue tightly to the roof of his mouth in order to create a vacuum seal and suction pressure to transfer milk. If your baby does not have normal use of his tongue, then he likely can’t drain the breast completely.

All of the muscles that form the tongue and allow for all of it’s ranges of motion are attached to various cranial and spinal bones—mostly to the Temporals, the Mandible, and the Hyoid bone in the upper neck. Once again, if these underlying structures are imbalanced, then these muscles will be pulled and strained. This causes the tongue to be tethered (not able to move normally) and weak.

The above information is from Lynn Gerner DC’s article on breastfeeding challenges and chiropractic, which you can read here.

Our chiropractors have years of experience caring for infants with feeding challenges and can help unravel the tension in your baby's head, neck, jaw, and mouth that may be interfering with their ability to breastfeed optimally.

What is the role of chiropractic during postpartum?

Chiropractic focuses on unraveling the body’s structural tension in order to support the nervous system.

During pregnancy, the body undergoes a tremendous shift as it goes from “normal” to carrying a baby. Similarly, the body goes through a tremendous structural change as it goes from carrying a baby, back to “normal.”

This change can be a huge adjustment for your spine, not to mention the added stress and tension that can come with long periods spent in specific positions while breastfeeding and carrying your baby, a lack of sleep, and increased stress.

Additionally, during pregnancy, a hormone called “relaxin” helps the body loosen in order to make it possible to birth your baby. But in postpartum, the presence of this hormone can mean that your body may actually get out of alignment more easily.

This is where chiropractic comes in. By relieving structural misalignments that may be the consequence of birth, your new lifestyle, or just stress, your nervous system can function the way it’s designed to, moving you towards healing and helping your body realign itself after the tremendous change of giving birth.

Do you take insurance?

We are considered out of network and do not process any insurance through the office. If you have out of network coverage you can submit the statement we provide after each appointment for reimbursement. PPO plans are more likely to have out of network coverage but you would need to call your insurance to confirm. If you have an HSA or FSA card, we do accept those for payment

The new patient consultation is $175, and subsequent visits are $60 so it’s only the first much longer visit that’s more expensive.