The Webster Technique: Gentle Chiropractic Care for Pregnancy
Chiropractic care is vital to normal physiological function, especially in pregnancy and birth.
Pregnancy is a time of incredible change — not just emotionally and hormonally, but physically. As your body grows to support new life, your spine and pelvis adapt in ways that can create discomfort, tension, or misalignment.
That’s where the Webster Technique comes in.
The Webster Technique is a specific chiropractic approach designed to restore balance in the pelvis and reduce tension in the surrounding muscles and ligaments. While it doesn’t “turn breech babies,” its goal is to create the best possible environment for baby to move and grow freely.
The Webster Technique is a chiropractic analysis and gentle adjustment of the sacrum. As with all chiropractic adjustments, our intent is to improve the nervous system so the body can function better. With sacrum adjustments, the balance in the pelvis improves which reduces tension in the attached muscles and ligaments.
In pregnant women, if the pelvis is not balanced, the uneven pulling on these muscles and ligaments may be restricting the baby’s ability to get into the best possible position for birth.
Although this technique is most frequently used with pregnant women it can also be used on any weight bearing individual. It’s safe, gentle, and incredibly effective — not just for relieving low back and hip pain, but for supporting overall comfort and function — especially during pregnancy.
“Mothers and their babies are liable to be injured at childbirth. Many have their vertebrae displaced at this critical period, causing acute and chronic diseases. If the adjustor is a chiropractor, he can adjust such, thereby preventing dis-ease.” — D.D. Palmer, 1910
While research on the Webster Technique specifically is still growing, studies and case series have shown that chiropractic care during pregnancy can help reduce back pain, improve pelvic alignment, and contribute to overall comfort. A 2006 study published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that 75% of pregnant patients receiving chiropractic care reported relief from pain. Additionally, a retrospective analysis published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice in 2012 suggested that prenatal chiropractic adjustments could be associated with improved fetal positioning outcomes, especially in cases of breech presentation.
While no technique — including Webster — claims to “turn” babies, the goal is to create balance in the pelvis and reduce tension in the uterus and surrounding ligaments. This gentle, safe approach supports the body’s natural ability to adapt and function optimally during pregnancy.
How chiropractic care can contribute to safer, easier births:
Reduced nervous system stress
enchanced muscle function
restored proprioceptive activity
alleviation of dural tension
decreased sympathetic activity
restoration of pelvic function
optimization of pelvic balance allowing for maximum space and greater comfort
restoration of tone to the smooth muscles
reduction of tension on the lower portion of the uterus
The Webster Technique: Defintion, Application and Implications:
https://icpa4kids.com/media/1160/webster_technique.pdf
Included in this paper is the hypothesis as to why babies in a malposition may move into a more optimal position when a pregnant women is getting adjusted.
