When a pregnant woman is told that her baby is in the breech position, she is commonly given two options: 1) schedule a cesarean section or 2) do an External Cephalic Version (ECV). Both options can be very scary for a pregnant woman. A cesarean section is a major surgical procedure that involves serious trauma to the abdominal structures and requires long healing times. The ECV is typically very uncomfortable and only has an approximate success rate of 50%.
What many pregnant women do not know is that there is another option: The Chiropractic Webster Technique.
The chiropractic Webster Technique has been shown to be very effective for allowing breech positioned babies to turn to the normal vertex position. The reported success rates are between 70-100%! The analysis and adjustment are very safe and gentle. Dr. Katie Sleigh, a pregnancy chiropractor in Arlington Heights IL states that, “The Webster Technique is most effective as soon as a woman finds out that her baby is breech. I encourage pregnant women to seek out a chiropractor certified in the Webster Technique as soon as possible.”
Webster Technique Chiropractic Adjustment Dr. Katie SleighThe Webster Technique is an analysis and adjustment of the sacral and pelvic regions of pregnant women. When this area of the spine of a pregnant woman is out of balance, the muscles and ligaments in the pelvic region can become torqued and twisted. The combination of the pelvic imbalance and torsion on the ligaments can lead to a breech presentation because the developing baby is unable to turn to the normal vertex position. Using the Webster Technique, certified chiropractors are able to determine if an imbalance exists and deliver a gentle and specific adjustment to restore proper function. When this proper function is restored, the baby is able to turn to the vertex position in the majority of cases. It is important to note that there are many causes of breech positioning. If there is something other than pelvic and ligament balance causing the baby to be breech, the Webster Technique may not result in proper positioning of the baby. Dr. Katie Sleigh states, “While this is always a possibility, I encourage women facing breech presentation of their baby to at least get checked for pelvic and ligament imbalance.”
Dr Katie Sleigh pregnancy chiropractor Arlington Heights ILDr. Katie Sleigh of Sleigh Family Chiropractic in Arlington Heights is certified to perform the Webster Technique and has worked with many pregnant patients. For more information on the Webster Technique, please see the Webster Technique section of the Sleigh Family Chiropractic website. For more information on chiropractic for healthy pregnancy and pain relief, please visit the Pregnancy Chiropractor Section of the website.
