Webster Technique Defined

Chiropractic care benefits all aspects of your body's ability to be healthy. This is accomplished by working with the nervous system--the communication system between your brain and body. Doctors of Chiropractic, like Dr. Berlin, work to correct spinal, pelvic and cranial misalignments (subluxations). When misaligned, these structures create an imbalance in surrounding muscles and ligaments. Additionally, the resulting nerve system stress may affect the body's ability to function optimally.

Sacral misalignment causes the tightening and torsion of specific pelvic muscles and ligaments.  It is these tense muscles and ligaments and their constraining effect on the uterus which may prevent the baby from comfortably assuming the best possible position for birth. The Webster Technique is defined as a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment that reduces interference to the nerve system and facilitates biomechanical balance in pelvic structures, muscles and ligaments. This has been shown to reduce the effects of intrauterine constraint, allowing the baby to get into the best possible position for birth.  Dr. Berlin is certified in the Webster Technique, and currently sees as many as one hundred cases a year from all over Los Angeles and the surrounding areas.  The unusually high volume of breech cases seen by Dr. Berlin makes him one of the most experienced practitioners of this technique.

Dr. Larry Webster, Founder of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association discovered this technique as a safe means to restore proper pelvic balance and function for pregnant mothers. In expectant mothers presenting breech, there has been a high reported success rate of the baby turning to the normal vertex position (see abstract below). This technique has been successfully used in women whose babies present transverse and posterior as well. It has also successfully used with twins. Any position of the baby other than ROA may indicate the presence of sacral subluxation and therefore intrauterine constraint. At no time should this technique be interpreted as an obstetric, "breech turning" technique.

Below is an abstract from the peer reviewed Journal of Manupulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT) on a study regarding the effectiveness of the Webster Technique for the correction of breech presentation.

The Webster Technique: a chiropractic technique with obstetric implications

October 22, 2001

Abstract

Objective: To survey members of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA); regarding the use of the WebsterTechnique for managing the musculoskeletal causes of intrauterine constraint, which may necessitate cesarean section. Methods: Surveys were mailed to 1047 US and Canadian members of the ICPA. Results: One hundred eighty-seven surveys were returned from 1047 ICPA members, constituting a return rate of 17.86%. Seventy-five responses did not meet the study inclusion criteria and were excluded; 112 surveys (11%) provided the data. Of these 112 surveys, 102 (92%) resulted in resolution of the breech presentation, while 10 (9%) remained unresolved. Conclusion:The surveyed doctors reported a high rate of success (82%) in relieving the musculoskeletal causes of intrauterine constraint using the WebsterTechnique.  Although the sample size was small, the results suggest that it may be beneficial to perform the WebsterTechnique in month 8 of pregnancy, when breech presentation is unlikely to spontaneously convert to cephalic presentation and when external cephalic version is not an effective technique. When successful, the WebsterTechnique avoids the costs and/or risks of external cephalic version, cesarean section, or vaginal trial of breech.In view of these findings, the WebsterTechnique deserves serious consideration in the health care management of expectant mothers exhibiting adverse fetal presentation. (J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2002;25:000)

Richard A. Pistolese, DC