Pregnancy and postnatal

Pelvic girdle pain affects one in five pregnancies and is routinely told to wait until the baby comes. It does not have to be waited out.

Elin has a postgraduate qualification in pregnancy and paediatric care and sees most of the clinic's pregnant patients. Treatment is in side-lying or on a table with a drop-away section for the bump, using gentle mobilisation, soft tissue work to the gluteal and pelvic muscles, and low-force techniques; no high-velocity adjustment of the lumbar spine in the third trimester. A support belt, a pillow arrangement and a few movements for the day make most of the difference between visits.

After the birth we see new parents for the low back and pelvis that carried the pregnancy, the neck and mid-back from feeding, and the wrist and thumb from lifting. The first postnatal visit is usually six weeks after a straightforward birth, later after a section, and we work alongside the women's health physiotherapy service at the Royal Glamorgan for pelvic floor rehabilitation, which is theirs rather than ours.

What is included

• Postgraduate-qualified lead chiropractor
• Side-lying and adapted table for every trimester
• Low-force techniques, no third-trimester lumbar adjustment
• Belt and pillow advice between visits
• Postnatal back, neck and wrist care
• Referral to women's health physio for the pelvic floor

What it costs

New patient visit £65; follow-ups £42. Treatment is adapted to each trimester; most pelvic girdle pain is manageable within three or four visits and a belt. There is no VAT on chiropractic treatment. All fees are on the fees page; what the first hour involves is on the first visit page.