Woman Warrior – Dr. Danielle McCary

Dr. Danielle McCary standing next to pregnancy pillow

Woman Warrior – Dr. Danielle McCary

Laurelhurst Chiropractic

Last April, I had the great fortune to be a part of an amazing free event for expecting and growing families called, The Parent Trip (spoiler alert: there’s going to be another, not just one but TWO events this October!). Thanks to this amazing event I connected with so many rad women doing awesome work in our community!

Danielle McCary, of Laurelhurst Chiropractic, is one such woman whom I got to meet through the Parent Trip. We chatted for a while and I loved learning more about her life and her passion for helping pregnant people. Danielle is a chiropractor who loves helping pregnant people feel more comfortable during their pregnancies. After getting to know her better, I knew I just had to feature her on my blog for this Women Warrior series.

This woman warrior, is running a successful chiropractic business with her husband here in Portland, OR. While also raising their 18 month old daughter.

Danielle’s Roots

Danielle spent her childhood running around the great outdoors of Canada, soaking up the wide open spaces surrounded by mountains. Which made the transition of moving to the Pacific Northwest rather easy on her. She loves any opportunity she gets to continue exploring Oregon’s great outdoors.

Danielle always knew she wanted to get into the healthcare field, but she wasn’t exactly sure what that would look like. So, she spent a lot of time in college job shadowing others to learn about different careers. She shadowed dentists, doctors, occupational therapists, and physical therapists. And then someone suggested to her that she shadow a chiropractor.

Danielle’s Chiropractor Journey

She found a chiropractic clinic to shadow and was immediately impressed at the wide demographic of people this clinic was working with. They were treating everyone from grandparents, who just want to be able to pick up their grandkids, to NHL players dealing with injuries, and everyone in between.

For Danielle, it was amazing to see this diverse group of patients that the chiropractors were working with to help them get back to their daily lives. Whether it was to be pain free, or excel in their sport, Danielle felt excited about this line of work. The following year she spent working at this clinic. She knew she wanted to help people and working there, gave her the opportunity to witness how much chiropractic work can indeed do that.

One of the things that resonated with her the most was how as a chiropractor, you get to spend quality time with your patients and really get to know them on a personal level. Visits aren’t rushed, and you actually get to help people solve their problems. This line of work seemed like a really great fit for her.

Now, she and her husband Phil, own Laurelhurst Chiropractic in Portland, Oregon.

Laurelhurst Services Offered

While Laurelhurst Chiropractic treats a variety of patients with numerous ailments, Danielle most enjoys working with pregnant people throughout their pregnancy journey.

She knows firsthand how much emotion is wrapped up into bringing a new little life into the world, from all the excitement to all the anxiety. And she loves helping women through that experience. Especially when they’re feeling uncomfortable or having pain in certain areas. Her goal is to make sure that they are feeling as good as they can throughout their pregnancy.

Danielle works with her patients to make sure their pelvis is in good alignment to ensure there is enough room for the baby to move into the pelvic bowl opening and drop down for delivery.

For the pregnant person’s comfort, she uses a medical grade pregnancy pillow with three distinct parts to it. It allows for pregnant patients to lay on their stomach during treatment. It expands or shortens depending on the patient and allows them to be as comfortable as possible while being able to work on them. Danielle says, “I swear some people just come in to lay on the pregnancy pillow.” You can see said pillow in the photos below.

Depending on how labor and delivery goes, Danielle continues to see patients after baby is born as well, typically about 4 to 6 weeks postpartum. Since after birth, many patients start to experience upper back and neck pain from carrying and feeding their baby.

The clinic also offers quality complementary health services, including massage therapy, acupuncture, Kinesio taping, and nutrition counseling. Below, you can view some photos of Laurelhurst Chiropractic clinic. Additionally, there are some photos of Danielle next to the pregnancy pillow she uses to treat pregnant patients.

One of the things I really loved about Danielle’s chiropractic philosophy is, “our goal isn’t to have you have to come in every week for the rest of your life. Our goal is to get you back to living your life.” This woman warrior is a true asset to our community. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about her and her practice.