- (636) 296-8123
- office@abundanthealthstl.com
- 1804 Jeffco Blvd, Arnold, MO 63010
The Webster Technique is a specific chiropractic assessment and gentle adjustment developed for pregnancy. It focuses on balancing the sacrum and pelvis, and on easing tension in the round ligaments and surrounding soft tissue that support the uterus.
The goal is to improve sacral and pelvic biomechanics and help you move more comfortably during pregnancy. The Webster Technique does not turn a baby or guarantee a change in fetal position.
It was developed by Dr. Larry Webster, who founded the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA). The ICPA still oversees the training and certification today. Both Dr. Amy Horn and Dr. Caitlin Cross are Webster certified, so this is not something we occasionally use. It is central to how we care for pregnant patients here in Arnold.
Worth clearing up early, because there is a lot of confusion about this.
A chiropractor does not turn your baby. Nobody reaches in and moves anything. There is no pushing on your belly to reposition a baby.
What we address is the mother’s sacral and pelvic mechanics and related soft-tissue tension. The Webster Technique is not a fetal-positioning procedure, and a change in your baby’s position cannot be promised.
A Webster visit has two parts: an assessment of your sacrum and pelvis, then a gentle adjustment and soft tissue release. Here is how a visit actually runs.
No forceful twisting and no pressure on your abdomen. We adjust your position according to your comfort and stage of pregnancy, using supportive pregnancy pillows when appropriate.
Webster care focuses on sacral and pelvic biomechanics. Pregnant patients commonly visit us while experiencing concerns such as:
To be clear about what we are and are not claiming: we are not treating your pregnancy, and we are not fixing your baby’s position. We are addressing pelvic and soft tissue mechanics so your body has a better chance of doing what it already knows how to do, with less pain along the way.
Your first visit runs about 45 minutes to an hour. Follow-up visits are much shorter, usually 10 to 15 minutes.
At your first appointment we will talk through what is going on, where you hurt, how you are sleeping, how far along you are, and what your birth plans look like. We want to know whether you are working with an OB, a midwife, or a doula, because we would rather coordinate with your birth team than work around them.
Then we assess, adjust, and give you a realistic plan. Most of our prenatal patients start with weekly visits and adjust from there based on how they are feeling. If you are coming in specifically for baby positioning in the third trimester, we usually see you more often for a short stretch.
Available research suggests that serious adverse events from spinal manipulation during pregnancy are uncommon, but the available evidence is limited. Care should always be individualized after an appropriate assessment. We use pregnancy-specific positioning and supportive pillows to avoid pressure on your abdomen.
Contact your OB or midwife before receiving chiropractic care if you have vaginal bleeding, placenta previa, preeclampsia, signs of preterm labor, decreased fetal movement or another pregnancy complication. Symptoms requiring urgent attention should be evaluated by your maternity provider immediately.
It depends on why you are coming in and how far along you are.
Most prenatal patients start with weekly visits, then we adjust based on how you are responding. If you are coming in for baby positioning, we typically recommend starting before 36 weeks and coming in more frequently for a shorter window. Earlier is easier, because there is more time and more room.
That said, it is rarely too late to start. If you are 37 weeks and only just found out your baby is breech, call us. We will tell you honestly whether we think we can help in the time you have.
There is one study people point to, and it is worth being accurate about what it actually shows.
A 2002 paper in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics surveyed chiropractors about their use of the Webster Technique. In its conclusion, the authors wrote that the surveyed doctors “reported a high rate of success (82%) in relieving the musculoskeletal causes of intrauterine constraint.”
Here is the honest context. That was a survey of practitioners reporting on their own cases, not a controlled trial, and 112 chiropractors responded out of more than a thousand who were sent the survey. So the 82% figure reflects what chiropractors reported about their own results. It is a reasonable signal, and it is the best known research on the technique, but it is not the same thing as a proven outcome rate, and we are not going to present it as one.
What we can tell you plainly: we use Webster because we have seen it help our patients get more comfortable, and because balancing the pelvis is sound mechanics regardless of what happens with baby’s position. We cannot promise your baby will turn. Nobody honestly can.
Reference: Pistolese RA. The Webster Technique: a chiropractic technique with obstetric implications. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2002;25(6):E1-E9.
Webster certification means a chiropractor has completed the ICPA’s specific training in this analysis and adjustment. It is not something a chiropractor can claim by reading about it. There is coursework and a practical component.
It matters because pregnancy is not a smaller version of general chiropractic. The positioning is different, the ligament work is specific, and the contraindications are different. A chiropractor who does not have prenatal training may be excellent with a general back pain case and still not be the right person for a 34-week pregnancy.
Both of our doctors are certified. If you want to understand what the credential covers and how to check that any chiropractor genuinely holds it, we wrote that up here: what a Webster certified chiropractor is and how to verify it.
It means they have completed the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association’s training in the Webster Technique, a specific assessment and gentle adjustment of the sacrum and pelvis for pregnancy. It is a prenatal specific credential, not a general chiropractic one. Both Dr. Amy Horn and Dr. Caitlin Cross are Webster certified.
The best known research is a 2002 survey of chiropractors published in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, in which the surveyed doctors reported an 82% rate of success in relieving the musculoskeletal causes of intrauterine constraint. That is practitioner self-report rather than a controlled trial, so it should be read as a signal rather than proof. What is not in question is that Webster is a gentle, low risk approach to pelvic balance, and many of our patients tell us they are simply more comfortable.
The main one is mild, short lived soreness after an adjustment, similar to how you might feel after a light workout. It is gentle care and significant complications are rare. The bigger limitation is one of expectation: Webster addresses pelvic and ligament mechanics, so if a baby is malpositioned for a reason unrelated to mechanics, such as a structural issue or low fluid, Webster will not change that. We will tell you if we do not think we are the right answer.
No, and any chiropractor who says otherwise is overstating it. We do not move babies. We address the pelvic imbalance and ligament tension that can limit the room a baby has to turn on their own. Many babies do turn once that constraint eases, but that is the baby moving, not us moving them.
Earlier is easier, simply because there is more time and more room. We usually recommend starting before 36 weeks if baby positioning is your concern. That said, starting at 35 or 37 weeks is not pointless, and we still see babies turn late. Call us and we will give you a straight answer about what is realistic for where you are.
Yes. It is low force by design, and we use pregnancy specific positioning so there is no pressure on your belly and no twisting. We will ask you to check with your OB or midwife first if you have vaginal bleeding, placenta previa, preeclampsia, or a risk of preterm labour.
Most prenatal patients start with weekly visits and we adjust from there based on how they are feeling. If you are coming in specifically for baby positioning, we typically recommend more frequent visits over a shorter window, starting before 36 weeks.
We are at 1804 Jeffco Blvd in Arnold, about 25 minutes south of downtown St. Louis, and we see prenatal patients from Arnold, Imperial, Oakville, Fenton, Murphy and across Jefferson County.
Webster is part of our broader prenatal chiropractic care, alongside craniosacral therapy, nutritional support and acupuncture. For pregnancy nausea or digestive discomfort, see our separate supportive-care page. If you are further north, here is our prenatal care page for St. Louis families.
