Prenatal chiropractic care is a safe and gentle way to promote comfort and minimize back pain during and after your pregnancy. The Webster Technique is a well-known chiropractic method that focuses on pelvic alignment, helping relieve the common aches and pain that mothers develop in their joints and back. With the goal of helping restore and maintain balance in the bones, muscles, and ligaments of the pelvis and lower back, making an appointment with a prenatal chiropractor like Dr. Dayna Socha at Align Your Spine Chiropractic can provide countless benefits. 

If you’re curious about the Webster Technique, the following article stands as a comprehensive guide to all you need to know about how it works and how it can benefit your pregnancy. 

What is the Webster Technique? 

In short, the Webster Technique is a specific chiropractic technique used to analyze and correct pelvic imbalances found in any person at any age. While the technique is available to anyone who needs it, it is commonly applied to pregnant women because of the gentle ease of application that is well suited to pregnant bodies. 

This article will detail the process of the Webster Technique more thoroughly later on, but, in general, the technique takes about 10-15 minutes to complete per session and the average woman requires 4-6 chiropractic sessions over two weeks to gain positive results in pelvic alignment.

History of the Webster Technique

The Webster Technique was developed by Dr. Larry Webster, the founder of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). Dr. Webster’s daughter, Lucinda, had a long and difficult time during the birth of her own daughter, Shannon. While he helped her with chiropractic adjustment during the birth, he recognized that chiropractic care could have a more widespread impact on all women by focusing on the pelvis. He, therefore, strove to develop an adjustment process for women in labor in order to help with the ease of birth and make labor safer and less painful. 

Shortly after this experience, Dr. Webster helped a family whose mother was pregnant but also presented breech (where babies lie bottom first or feet first in the uterus instead of in the usual head-first position). Through his new technique, the baby turned vertex in time for delivery. Shortly thereafter, the Webster Technique was officially developed in the 1980s, and in 2000, a certification program was launched for the method coinciding with the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA).

Common Pregnancy Aches and Pains

Pregnancy and labor can cause common types of aches and pains. Lower back pain and pelvic/hip pain are certainly the most common, which is due to the fact that during pregnancy, the pelvis will tilt forward causing strain on the lower back and hip flexor muscles as they work to keep the pregnant woman’s center of balance. Working and relieving these muscles is, therefore, central to the Webster Technique, and the relief of these muscles will help reduce the pain felt in the lower back and pelvis.

Less common types of pain and issues such as sciatica, tailbone pain, symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD), pubic pain, difficulty sleeping, swollen feet and ankles, heartburn, and round ligament pain can also occur during the long journey of pregnancy. Fortunately, the Webster Technique is also very helpful in reducing the pain and symptoms associated with these problems! 

How Does the Webster Technique Work? 

The Webster Technique works by targeting the uterus and pelvic basin that lies between the hip bones. In this region, there is a set of ligaments attaching the uterus to the abdominal wall and the sacrum (tailbone). If the sacrum and pelvic bones are out of alignment, those sets of ligaments will incur strain and be pulled unnaturally – this strain is what Dr. Webster calls, “intrauterine constraint”. Intrauterine constraint creates tension within the uterus and a more cramped environment that hinders the baby from being able to move as freely as it should. 

The Webster Technique addresses this tension by re-aligning the joints and easing the tightness in the muscles and ligaments. Once the intrauterine constraint is relieved, the mother’s body can function optimally, allowing the baby the space to move or turn as needed. Furthermore, the reduced tension will reduce or remove the pain and aches that mothers feel during pregnancy, giving them a less stressful and less painful pregnancy experience. 

When To Seek Chiropractic Care During Pregnancy

Many pregnant women can start seeing a – prenatal chiropractor as early as the first trimester. Chiropractic care has been shown to be safe for mothers and children throughout pregnancy, and it is proven to reduce aches and pains while simultaneously helping prepare the mother and baby for labor. In fact, a 2007 scientific study has shown that pregnant women who regularly see a chiropractor may have 25% shorter labor. 

Regardless of how far along you are in your pregnancy, we recommend visiting a prenatal chiropractor to begin benefiting from the helpful advantages provided by the Webster Technique. If you are in Frankfort, Kentucky and are either pregnant or expecting pregnancy, contact Align Your Spine Chiropractic to learn more about why our clients love working with us!