As every pregnant woman knows, the joy of carrying a new life inside you comes with its own set of struggles; mental and physical alike.
Being in my third pregnancy, I knew what I was getting myself into, but what I didn’t realize was there was someone out there that could help relieve some of the aches and pains that come with the growth of not only my belly but my whole body!
I was referred to Dr. Ogle at Highland Chiropractic through several friends who see him personally, and who also take their kiddos in for regular treatments.
When I first arrived, I was greeted by two friendly gals at the front desk who gave me a quick tour.
The office smells great and is very clean. Immediately, I felt the warm welcome and atmosphere the office provides.
They also have a great kids room for entertaining any little ones.
Dr. Ogle introduced himself and brought me back to his treatment room.
My main issue is my lower back and hips, but Dr. Ogle could have told you that without me even saying a word.
He has specific scans that run along the spine to evaluate tension in nerves and muscles, so he can pinpoint the exact problem areas. He has x-ray equipment on site but does not use it for his prenatal patients until AFTER labor and delivery. (Care after baby is born, is so helpful to make sure the everything goes back to where it should be.)
Dr. Ogle will have you put a gown on and then begin to take measurements with his specialized equipment. It doesn’t hurt and it is in a private room where you feel comfortable.
He will then go over the results with you in detail. He will provide you with a clear explanation of what is going on with your body including how the nerves can affect muscle, organ and tissue function. Even an explanation as to what things might be causing you to have symptoms like headaches, heartburn, sciatica, and hip and lower back pain.
Example: Dr. Ogle shared that I had slightly elevated levels of tension in a couple of specific areas, which would indicate I am having digestion issues such as heartburn.
But, my muscle reading was another story. Can you tell from the image where I hurt the most? Yeah, it was pretty much right on! I couldn’t believe it.
After he consulted me on best practices for prenatal patients and his treatment suggestions, we were able to start an adjustment.
This is where it gets even better! You pregnant women will be able to hear my cries of happiness when you see this…
Yes, this is a pregnancy pillow. Those two spots in the middle are not for arms. ;)
They are specifically for us to be able to lay face down comfortably. Check this out:
I already felt so much pressure relief being able to lie on my stomach. The trigger points that were aching instantly felt relief. I could have lied there all day.
Dr. Ogle started his adjustment and was always careful to check pain levels and my comfort.
Learn More about Highland Chiropractic 
Because most of my pain was due to muscle tension, he used a specialized tool that helped to relieve inflamed muscles and overall help them work better after the adjustment.
It didn’t hurt, it was more like a jolt to the muscle to wake it up and tell it to ‘relax already’.
“The tool is called an Activator and it helps to adjust the bones, while also helping too wake up or “activate” the muscles so they know what they need to do to help the spine, hips, and pelvis! This is just one of the many ways of being able to get things back on track and feel amazing again.”
Next up was checking alignment and mobility.
Like I said earlier, my left side was the most painful. But, ironically enough, a lot of my treatment needed focus on the right side. I have been overcompensating and my right side was in need too!
He was able to give me an adjustment ‘crack’ along my back and my neck. Again, always aware of my comfort levels and nothing ever hurt.
Some might be scared of getting an adjustment, or what some call “getting cracked”, but anybody I’ve ever adjusted comments on how amazing they feel afterward. The cracking sound is made from tiny air bubbles moving into the joint space and allowing for better movement. When there’s better movement, there is less pain. And when there is less pain, mom is happier! For those who don’t like the ‘cracking’ sound, we use the activator instrument to accomplish the same thing.
After treatment, Dr. Ogle put a special tape onto the areas he did heavy muscle work on. This is meant to continue to provide ample blood flow to these specific areas so that my body will continue to provide healing agents to the areas days after treatment.
After my treatment, I was able to ask Dr. Ogle about his prenatal chiropractic services and why he decided to specialize in prenatal pain relief for the women of the Treasure Valley.
Totally Boise: Hey, Dr. Ogle! Thanks for my adjustment today. I can already feel such a difference in my mobility and tension. What made you specialize in this kind of treatment?
Dr. Ogle: My wife. We have three adorable kids now and I saw the pains and discomforts that she went through with each pregnancy… heartburn, hip pain, low back pain, and sciatic pain was the worst for her for her. I was in school when she was pregnant with our first and I didn’t know how to help her! It was the worst feeling, studying to be a chiropractor, but not being able to help with these things that I knew chiropractic could help with! I turned most of my focus on how to help her, and with the next two kids, life was much happier for both of us.
TB: Who would be a good candidate for your prenatal treatments in the Boise area?
Dr. Ogle: That’s a great question. There are two types of moms - 1. Moms that want to make sure that the typical pains of pregnancy don’t come up and want a natural way to help improve labor and delivery. 2. Moms that have felt pregnancy pains and would like a break from those pains.
TB: What type of pain is best resolved by your treatments plans?
Dr. Ogle: For pregnant moms, the most common is sciatic pain, glute pain, low back pain, heartburn, neck pain, and headaches.
TB: How often can a pregnant woman expect to receive treatment?
Dr. Ogle: That varies based on what each mom’s goals are. This is something we discuss at each initial visit so I know what it is they are looking for and how I can best help them get there. Most moms end up choosing to keep regular weekly appointments just because the body is changing so quickly!
TB: Do you offer other resources to your patients like preferred stretches and exercises to use between treatments?
Dr. Ogle: We just developed a members site that contains stretches and exercises that are extremely helpful throughout pregnancy; stretches and exercises that are easy to do with any mom’s busy day. When going through care at our office, we also give specific at home care thing that moms can do to help them continue to feel amazing.
TB: Do you offer treatment plans for after pregnancy?
Dr. Ogle: We do offer treatment after pregnancy, and highly recommend it to make sure that the hips align properly with the spine. This is important regardless of the delivery method and allows for better healing and function not only for right after labor and delivery but for the days and years
TB: We have heard a lot about your newborn colic treatments. Can you tell us more about that?
Dr. Ogle: This is actually really exciting! And I’ll say this about colic - babies don’t ‘grow out’ of colic. A lot of doctors say “oh they’ll grow out of colic in a few months.” but what they don’t realize is that colic is a symptom of deeper issues. When those deeper issues aren’t taken care of, they just morph into something different. I can’t tell you how many 5-8 year olds that I’ve seen with ADHD and other neuro-related issues that mom said “Oh yeah, they had colic really bad” or “they were so fussy and spit up so much” or “we had to swing him so hard to get him to just calm down.” These things aren’t normal. Babies don’t “grow out” of colic. Colic morphs. So because of this, I created a simple and easy to use at home program to help end colic. We’ve seen so many babies with colic over the years and I’ve used quite a few different techniques to help them, so I put all of them together and show parents what to do at home, and what supplements are necessary to truly eliminate colic, and not let it morph into something else. Sorry, that was a long answer! But this is something that I’m clearly very passionate about and love helping families discover.
Prenatal Massages in Boise
Something else I would be remiss to mention is Highland Chiropractic prenatal massages. You can also utilize the aforementioned awesome pregnancy pillow if desired. Their room is private and super cozy and comfortable.
The two massage therapists at the clinic are specialized in prenatal, which I wasn't aware until now, that not all massage therapists know how to treat pregnant women. So, keep your eyes open for that!
