Expecting Mothers - Webster
Garden State Spinal Care has been serving patients in North & Central NJ and NYC since 2017.
What is the Webster Technique?
Dr. Dour is certified in Webster Technique and a proud mother.
At Garden State Spinal Care, we have a team of Webster-certified chiropractors in Montclair, NJ.
Chiropractic care in pregnancy is vital to the normal physiological function of both the mother and baby throughout pregnancy and birth. More women and birth providers are discovering the many benefits associated with chiropractic care in pregnancy and recognize this area of expertise through Webster Certification.
The Webster Technique is a specific chiropractic sacral analysis and diversified adjustment. The goal of the adjustment is to reduce the effects of sacral subluxation/ SI joint dysfunction. In doing so, neuro-biomechanical function in the pelvis is facilitated.
Sacral subluxation may contribute to difficult labor for the mother (i.e., dystocia), caused by inadequate uterine function, pelvic contraction, and baby mal-presentation. Correction of sacral subluxation may have a positive effect on all of these causes of dystocia.
Webster Certification
The Webster Technique has become a popular phrase when it comes to people discussing birth and pregnancy. Families are looking for chiropractors who are skilled in this practice, as it provides a safe, comfortable, and improved birthing process. Having a Webster Certification as a chiropractor can make all the difference in the pregnancy and birth of your current clients by optimizing normal physiological function.
What is the Webster Technique?
Dr. Larry Webster—the creator of ICPA, Logan practitioner, and Life College instructor—created the Webster Technique because of his daughter Lucinda, who was giving birth to her daughter Shannon. Dr. Webster was there for her hard, long, and difficult birth, and even though he helped adjust her during the birthing process, he felt that chiropractic techniques could have been very beneficial toward her labor with a more specialized approach regarding her pelvis.
After going through this with his daughter, Dr. Webster strived to create an adjustment for women going through labor to make the experience much easier and more comfortable. He felt that there has to be a better way of addressing subluxations throughout pregnancy that would assist to a safer, less difficult birth for mothers.
Not long after, Dr. Webster was taking care of a family whose mother was pregnant and also displaying breech-like symptoms. He utilized his new technique in hopes that it would provide an easier delivery than his daughter had.
He routinely saw her once per week for several weeks and noticed that her baby turned vertex (head first) before her delivery.
Dr. Webster started teaching other chiropractors this specialized technique. These chiropractors reported that when their patients’ babies were not in the correct position for birth, the babies were turning vertex as well. Hence the title: “Webster Breech Turning Technique,” subsequently to be named the "Webster In-Utero Constraint Technique" by Drs. Anrig and Forrester.
When Dr. Webster’s daughter Pamela was pregnant, he urged that she get routine chiropractic care during the course of her pregnancy and sent her a video of his current methods to show her present chiropractor. Additionally, she decided to show it to her OB, who was very interested in the pelvic biomechanics and the chiropractic point of view. He, too, urged her to routinely visit her chiropractor for this technique, knowing this was out of his obstetric scope.
ICPA and Webster Certification
In the year 2000, the ICPA officially started implementing the Webster Technique Certification. Dr. Webster’s widow, Connie Webster, and Dr. Jeanne Ohm, ICPA executive director, created a certification course that taught chiropractors not only the techniques but also its importance in pregnancy. Dr. Ohm designed the curriculum surrounding the physiological concept that making use of the Webster Technique throughout pregnancy could eliminate the causes of dystocia. In roughly one year, ICPA members were encouraged to eliminate terms that implied breech turning.
In 2012, Dr Joel Alcantara, ICPA research director and Dr. Jeanne Ohm released the publication, The Webster Technique: Definition, Application and Implications.
It clarified the intent, definition, and specific analysis with sacral correction of the Webster technique as originally taught by Dr. Webster. It reaffirmed the significance of eradicating the terms "breech turning" and "in-utero constraint".
Following Dr. Webster’s original intentions, the Webster Technique has continued to be taught in the ICPA Certification Program as a specific sacral analysis and diversified adjustment to be used during pregnancy to mitigate the effects of sacral subluxation but also for all weight bearing individuals regardless of age or gender.
Who could benefit from this technique?
You might benefit from seeking out a Webster certified chiropractor for pregnancy if you have:
Concerns with your pelvis or sacrum during pregnancy
Protruding abdomen and increased back curve
Posturnal adaptations
Concerns about baby positioning
Potential benefits of chiropractic care during pregnancy include:
Maintaining a healthier pregnancy
Controlling symptoms of nausea
Reducing the time of labor and delivery
Relieving back, neck, and joint pain
Preventing a potential cesarean delivery
How is this performed?
Once you are at your appointment, your chiropractor will provide you with a pregnancy pillow and have you lie face down on a specialized chiropractic table. Next, your chiropractor will make the initial assessment and determine if there are any imbalances with your pelvis. Through the massaging of soft tissue, muscles in the abdomen, and ligaments surrounding your uterus, your chiropractor creates more space around the pelvis, so the baby can move more freely into an optimal position on their own.
Book an appointment and get started today!
For more information about the webster technique and our webster certified chiropractors in Montclair, NJ, be sure give us a call at (973) 275-8059 today or schedule and appointment today.