What we check
- Sacroiliac joint motion and how evenly your pelvis shares load side to side
- Lumbar spine mechanics and the depth of your low back curve
- Rib-to-spine joint motion in the mid back, including rib flare in later trimesters
- Hip mobility and glute activation, since the hips take over when the pelvis is unstable
- Muscle tension and tenderness through the low back, hips, and along the ribs
- Breathing pattern and how much your diaphragm is still able to move
- INSiGHT nervous system scan findings to measure tension held in the nervous system
- Daily loading habits: sleep position, lifting, standing, commute, work setup
What to expect
Plan on about an hour for your first visit. We start with your history — your pregnancy, your due date, who's managing your prenatal care, and where and when your back hurts. Next comes a nervous system scan and a physical exam of your pelvis, low back, hips, and mid back. If it's appropriate that day, you'll receive your first adjustment, side-lying and belly-supported, with the amount of force dialed for pregnancy. You'll leave knowing what we found, one or two things to change at home, and what we recommend going forward.
Book a first visitWhy We Look at Load First
Over a few months, weight moves forward and down, the low back curve deepens to compensate, and hormones soften the ligaments that normally hold your joints on a tight leash. That softening is useful for birth and less useful for the sacroiliac joints.
- Those joints now stabilize a heavier, more mobile pelvis with less passive help
- So the muscles take over — deep hip and low back muscles work overtime as stabilizers, and by evening they let you know
- Which is why pregnancy back pain often follows a pattern: fine in the morning, worse the longer you’re upright
- And worse again after a day of standing, lifting a toddler, or sitting through a long commute on the Dallas North Tollway
Low Back, Mid Back, and Rib Pain
“Back pain” is not one thing, and useful care starts by figuring out which structures are actually carrying the load.
- Low back and belt-line ache. Usually loaded through the sacroiliac joints and the joints of the lumbar spine. It tends to be one-sided, dull, and worse with single-leg tasks — stairs, stepping into the shower, rolling over in bed.
- Mid back, between the shoulder blades. Breast tissue changes and a forward-shifting posture pull the upper back into a longer, flatter position, and the joints between ribs and spine get stiff. It often shows up in the second trimester and again late, when there’s less room for a full breath.
- Rib and side-of-chest pain, later on. As the uterus rises, the lower ribs get pushed outward and up, and the joints where those ribs meet the spine don’t love being held at end range all day. Sitting slumped makes it sharper; a supported, tall sitting position usually eases it.
How We Assess It
Your first visit is a conversation before it is anything else.
- How far along you are, how the pregnancy is going, who is managing your care, what you did before you were pregnant, what your day physically demands
- Then how you move: how your pelvis and hips share work, how your ribs and mid back rotate, whether one side is doing noticeably more
- INSiGHT nervous system scanning measures how much tension is being held in your nervous system
- Pain is not only a joint story — a body braced for weeks reads differently than one that isn’t, and it changes how we pace your care
- Dr. Tori Hartline is Webster Certified through the ICPA, a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment approach for the pregnant pelvis
- Even when your main complaint sits higher up, the pelvis is usually part of the picture, because it’s the base everything above it stacks on
Care Built for a Pregnant Body
Adjustments during pregnancy are modified — not a smaller version of a general chiropractic visit, a different one.
- You are never asked to lie face down on your belly
- Side-lying positioning and belly-supported setups mean your abdomen is never compressed.
- Force is low; contacts are specific and slow, and we tell you what we’re doing before we do it
- Soft-tissue work on what’s been holding the strain: hip and glute musculature, the low back, the muscles along the ribs
- We look at the four or five things you do most in a day — how you get out of bed, whether you stand hip-cocked while brushing your teeth, how you lift your older child
- Small changes there often matter as much as anything in our office, because they happen a hundred times more often
- Most women describe it as easing: a little more room, a little less bracing, a few better nights of sleep
- Our goal is to reduce the mechanical stress your back is under, not to promise you a particular outcome
How Often, and For How Long
It depends on how long the pattern has been there and how much postural load you’re still living with every day.
- Early in pregnancy, some women come in occasionally and do well
- Late in pregnancy, when tissue changes fast and weight climbs weekly, consistent visits usually hold better than sporadic ones
- After your assessment we give a specific recommendation with a number attached, not a vague “come back when it hurts”
- You can see how we structure care and what a first visit costs on our what to expect page
- If what you actually need is pelvic floor physical therapy, a maternity support belt, or a conversation with your OB, we’ll say that
See a medical provider right away if you notice
- Vaginal bleeding or leaking fluid — call your OB or midwife right away
- Regular contractions or rhythmic tightening before 37 weeks — call your OB or midwife immediately
- Severe or persistent headache, vision changes, or sudden swelling in your face and hands — these can signal preeclampsia and need same-day medical evaluation
- Decreased or noticeably changed fetal movement — contact your OB or midwife immediately, do not wait for your next appointment
- Calf pain, warmth, or swelling in one leg — possible blood clot; seek urgent medical care
- Fever, chills, or burning with urination — pregnancy makes kidney infections more serious; call your provider today
- New numbness in the saddle area, or loss of bowel or bladder control — go to the emergency department
- Back pain that came on with a fall or car accident — get evaluated medically before any chiropractic care
Common questions
Is chiropractic adjusting safe while I'm pregnant?
Chiropractic care during pregnancy is widely used and is modified specifically for it. You are positioned on your side or with your belly supported, never face down, and we use low-force techniques. Dr. Tori is Webster Certified through the ICPA, a certification focused on care for the pregnant pelvis. If anything in your pregnancy makes care inappropriate, we'll tell you and coordinate with your OB or midwife.
How far along should I be before I come in?
There's no window you have to wait for. Some women start in the first trimester, some come in at 34 weeks with a specific complaint. Earlier usually means we're working with a pattern that hasn't been carried as long.
Will an adjustment make my back pain go away?
We can't promise that, and we won't. What we can do is find where mechanical stress is concentrated, reduce it, and address the habits feeding it. Many women report meaningful easing in pain and better sleep. Some need pelvic floor physical therapy alongside chiropractic, and we'll refer when that's the case.
My pain is in my ribs and shoulder blades, not my low back. Is that still a pregnancy thing?
Very often, yes. Rib flare and stiffness in the joints between your ribs and spine are common as the uterus rises and posture shifts. It's a normal pattern to assess and work on.
Do I need a referral from my OB?
No referral is needed to be seen here. That said, we like knowing who's on your care team, and we're glad to communicate with your OB or midwife if you'd like us to.
This page is educational and is not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Chiropractic care does not treat or cure disease; it supports the function of the nervous system and spine. Please speak with your pediatrician or a licensed clinician about your family's specific situation, and seek immediate care for any urgent symptom.