By Dr. Rusty Lavender, D.C. — upper cervical chiropractor, Lavender Family Chiropractic, Sarasota, FL. Reviewed and updated November 2026.
Our complete guide to upper cervical chiropractic care in Sarasota explains what the top two vertebrae control, how we measure them with 3D imaging, and what a correction feels like.
This page is part of our family chiropractic care in Sarasota, which also covers children and seniors.
In short: Pregnancy changes posture from the pelvis to the skull, and the top of the neck carries the adjustment. Headaches, neck pain, dizziness, and jaw tension that arrive or worsen during pregnancy are common, under-treated because medication options narrow, and often traced to the upper neck. Upper cervical care at Lavender Family Chiropractic in Sarasota involves no twisting, no cracking, no lying on the belly, and no imaging during pregnancy; the correction is low force and the monitoring is thermography, which has no radiation. This page explains what changes, what the research says, and how we work with your OB or midwife. Call (941) 243-3729.
What pregnancy does to the neck
As the belly grows, the center of gravity moves forward and the lower back arches to compensate. The upper back rounds, the shoulders roll in, and the head moves forward to keep the eyes level. Every inch the head moves forward adds load to the muscles at the top of the neck and to the joints between the skull and the atlas. Add the hormone relaxin, which loosens ligaments throughout the body including the ones that stabilize the upper neck, add disrupted sleep and new sleeping positions, and add the fact that most headache and migraine medications are off the table, and you have the pattern Sarasota expectant mothers bring us: tension headaches, neck and shoulder pain, dizziness on standing, jaw clenching, and migraine that has changed character.
The research on pregnancy-related pain has concentrated on the back and pelvis, and the numbers there are large. A 2026 meta-analysis in the International Urogynecology Journal covering 145,091 women found pelvic girdle pain in 59 percent during pregnancy, mostly in the third trimester, and in 32 percent during the first year postpartum, with prior low back pain nearly doubling the odds of pain persisting afterward. The same postural chain that loads the pelvis loads the top of the neck; the neck simply gets studied less.
What the research says about manual care in pregnancy
A 2020 systematic review in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics examined 50 articles from 18 systematic reviews, 30 randomized trials, and 2 cohort studies on chiropractic care for pregnancy-related low back and pelvic girdle pain, and graded the evidence for chiropractic care, exercise, and support devices as favorable, with multimodal care and patient education also favorable. A 2016 meta-analysis in Medicine of 10 studies and 1,198 pregnant women found positive effects of manual therapy on pain intensity compared with usual care and relaxation, with acceptability no different from usual care. For the neck specifically, the mechanism is the one that applies outside pregnancy, described in a 2022 review in the Journal of Clinical Medicine: the position sensors at the top of the neck feed the balance centers, and disturbed input there produces dizziness and imbalance, which a shifting center of gravity makes worse.
How upper cervical care is different during pregnancy
No twisting, no cracking. The Knee Chest correction is a brief, low-force contact at the side of the upper neck with no rotation. Nothing about it changes because you are pregnant, which is the point.
No lying on the belly, no pressure on the abdomen. The knee-chest table supports the chest and knees with the abdomen free, and positioning is adjusted by trimester. Later in pregnancy we modify the position further so you are never uncomfortable.
No imaging during pregnancy. We do not take 3D CBCT or any X-ray while you are pregnant. The evaluation relies on the history, the neurological and orthopedic examination, and paraspinal infrared thermography, which reads heat your body already emits and involves no radiation. If imaging is needed to plan care, it waits until after delivery.
Only when needed. Thermography before each visit tells us whether a correction is indicated. If your pattern is holding, we do not adjust. Pregnant patients often find they hold corrections well once the upper neck settles.
Alongside your OB or midwife. We ask about your prenatal care, send our findings on request, and defer to your obstetric team on anything outside the upper neck. Headache with high blood pressure, visual changes, or swelling in pregnancy is an obstetric emergency, not a neck problem, and we say so.
What Sarasota mothers come to us for
Tension and migraine headaches that have changed with pregnancy or cannot be medicated. Neck pain during pregnancy, especially with the forward head posture of the third trimester. Dizziness on standing or turning. Jaw clenching and TMJ pain from disrupted sleep. And, after delivery, the neck and upper back strain of feeding and carrying, which is when many mothers return.
Serving Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch, and Venice
Our office is at 5899 Whitfield Avenue, Suite 107, Sarasota, FL 34243, at University Parkway and Whitfield Avenue, with parking at the door. Hours are Monday through Thursday 10:00 am to 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, and Friday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm. Partners and children are welcome at every visit, and we also see infants and children.
Common questions about chiropractic care during pregnancy
Is upper cervical chiropractic safe during pregnancy? The correction involves no twisting, no cracking, no pressure on the abdomen, and no imaging; positioning is adjusted by trimester, and we correct only when thermography shows it is needed. We coordinate with your OB or midwife.
Can I be seen in the third trimester? Yes. The knee-chest table keeps the abdomen free, and we modify the position for comfort. Many patients find the last trimester is when they need care most.
Do you take X-rays during pregnancy? No. The evaluation uses history, examination, and thermography, which has no radiation. Imaging, if needed, waits until after delivery.
Why do I have headaches now when I never did before? Forward head posture, loosened ligaments, disrupted sleep, and the loss of your usual medication options all converge on the top of the neck. That is the region we measure.
Will I need to come often? Thermography decides. If your pattern is holding, we do not adjust, and visits are spaced out.
How quickly can I be seen? We hold time for same-day and next-day new patient visits. See our same-day chiropractor in Sarasota page or call.
Find out whether your neck is part of the picture
Call (941) 243-3729 or book online. Lavender Family Chiropractic in Sarasota, Florida offers a thorough upper cervical evaluation to find out whether we can help.