Ask Dr. Anne-Marie
Is chiropractic safe during pregnancy?
Short answer
Chiropractic care during pregnancy is widely used and generally considered low-risk when it is provided by a chiropractor trained in prenatal care, using techniques and positioning modified for a pregnant body. Care should be coordinated with your obstetric provider or midwife, and certain pregnancy complications require medical clearance first.
The longer answer
Prenatal chiropractic care is not a different profession — it is standard chiropractic care with the assessment, positioning, and force adapted for a body that is changing quickly. Practically, that means specialised tables or supports, side-lying positioning, and gentler techniques than would be used with a non-pregnant adult.
What this care addresses is musculoskeletal: pelvic and spinal motion, muscular balance, and comfort. It does not treat pregnancy itself, and any practitioner claiming to influence outcomes beyond comfort and function should be questioned closely.
My perspective
In nearly two decades of caring for pregnant women, the most common thing I hear is that discomfort was mentioned and then dismissed as simply part of pregnancy. Some of it is. But common is not the same as inevitable, and a woman is entitled to have her discomfort examined rather than waited out.
I also want women to understand what good care looks like: a thorough history, communication with your obstetric provider or midwife, clear explanation of what is being done, and honesty about what chiropractic care can and cannot do.
When to seek medical care
Tell your obstetric provider or midwife about any care you are receiving. Seek medical care promptly for vaginal bleeding, fluid loss, severe or sudden abdominal pain, severe headache or visual changes, or reduced fetal movement.
Content on this website is educational and informational in nature and is not intended as a substitute for individualized medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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Dr. Anne-Marie is the lead chiropractor at Compass Family Chiropractic in Dunwoody, Georgia, serving families across metro Atlanta.
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