Ep 129 The Webster Technique for Prenatal Chiropractic Care with Hannah Steinmetz

[00:00:00] Cynthia: You are listening to the Well Connected Twin Cities podcast. I'm your host, Cynthia Shockley, and I'm here to learn alongside you through meaningful conversations with health and wellness practitioners. This is your time to experience some mindset shifts, learn practical tips, and get excited about what is possible.

[00:00:22] We want you to own the power of choice in your personal well being journey. Let's discover what's possible right here in our Twin Cities community.

[00:00:33] Hello and welcome to the Well Connected Twin Cities podcast. I'm your host Cynthia Shockley and today I'm speaking with Dr. Hannah Steinmetz about the Webster technique for prenatal chiropractic care. We'll hear about Hannah's own journey into chiropractic care and why the Webster technique in particular is so helpful for common prenatal symptoms like round ligament pain, sciatic nerve pain, low back pain, and even breach positions for babies.

[00:01:02] We discuss the novel idea that pregnant bodies don't have to accept that pain is just what they have to deal with, that there are options for relief. Dr. Hanna is a prenatal and family chiropractor in Apple Valley, Minnesota. Her clinic, Dakota Chiropractic, is a multidisciplinary sanctuary of chiropractic, physical therapy, and massage therapy, and it's a place for their patients to feel heard and held.

[00:01:29] She loves playing with her two and a half year old son, practicing yoga, and catching live music at a few local hunts.

[00:01:36] And here we are with Hannah Steinmetz. Hello, Hannah. 

[00:01:41] Hannah: Hi, Cynthia. So excited to chat today. 

[00:01:45] Cynthia: I know. I was just, I know we were just talking about how wild it is that this is the first podcast episode you've been on because you've been such an integral part. of Well Connected since the beginning and just such an active member and on the collaborative advisory board.

[00:02:03] So I'm just like of course we have to have an episode with you. That makes so much sense. I

[00:02:09] Hannah: love Well Connected so much. It's got such a special place in my heart. It was like when I first joined in the beginning in 2020 it was like such a life raft for me. And yeah, I just I really believe in the group and everything that you guys are doing, so I'm so excited to be on the podcast.

[00:02:28] Cynthia: Yes, I know that was just a wild time for business and figuring it out and it was nice to have the community of wellness professionals and just to work together through that and not be alone. Now it's been, over three years and I'm curious. About your rose and thorn, as I like to ask.

[00:02:52] So something that is beautiful right now, but also something that's maybe a bit of a pain in your life right now. 

[00:03:00] Hannah: Yeah, so I was thinking about the rose. What stands out to me right now is we're recording this the day after Halloween, right? Last night I got to take my two and a half year old trick or treating.

[00:03:12] That's the first time he's ever gone trick or treating. And we just hit four or five houses on the block. But it was so much fun to see him excited about it and running around. And it was, like, one of those little milestones as a parent that was just really exciting and fun. And then in that same kind of vein for the thorn, I don't know, I was trying to think of a cute little inconvenient thorn, but really the thorn that I keep coming back to is just that, that thorn of As a working parent or as a working mother just feeling a lot like everything is my job.

[00:03:46] Everything is my responsibility and the real like overwhelm that comes with that. I think that's a lot of people's. 

[00:03:55] Cynthia: Definitely. And I'm sure through the community of Well Connected too and all the professionals, there's a lot of moms who are doing everything, right?

[00:04:07] Running their business, maybe even having a full time job on top of raising their kids. And it's a lot of responsibility. And so I think that's a thorn that a lot of people can resonate with. And also understand that with that thorn comes the rose, right? That precious moment with the kids the wins in your business.

[00:04:30] It's all together, right? It's all one thing. 

[00:04:32] Hannah: A hundred percent. 

[00:04:34] Cynthia: Hannah, I know that, you've been this go to chiropractor in the wellness community and I'm curious where you even got your start, what brought you into the world of chiropractic, what piqued your interest and then made you decide to pursue it professionally?

[00:04:53] Hannah: Thank you for saying that. First of all, that's so nice. So I always knew that I wanted to work in healthcare from like teenage years. I first thought I wanted to be a nurse. So I went and got a job as a nursing assistant, a CNA in a nursing home and quickly realized like, nah, this is not going to be my career for the rest of my life.

[00:05:13] It was just really, physically demanding and oftentimes working in scenarios where you're short staffed, that kind of thing. And I know that's like a big. Big thing with nursing even to this day, but so I knew healthcare. I tried that out. That wasn't for me studied exercise science in college and was like open to lots of different career ideas and then remembered my experience with a chiropractor I had been going since I was five years old.

[00:05:39] I had chronic ear infections as a child and had tubes in both ears Nothing was working. Out of desperation, my mom heard from a friend that like chiropractic could help with ear infections. So she took me in. I started getting adjusted and then I never had another ear infection. So that was like our family's start with chiropractic.

[00:06:01] And then I was a student athlete, would go to the chiropractor for like minor injuries and stuff. And they really helped me and built trust around that. So I like had that kind of. Image of what a chiropractor could be in my mind at that point, and then just started shadowing a bunch of different chiropractors and thought yeah this seems like a really cool job.

[00:06:22] That is uniquely like Eastern and Western or like alternative and traditional. I has a leg in both. And I really liked kind of being that getting an opportunity to be that bridge. So that was really what drew me to the profession. 

[00:06:36] Cynthia: Yeah, it is really interesting because you're a doctor, right?

[00:06:39] Like you learn a lot of what an MD would learn, all of the mechanics, the anatomy, the biochemistry, all of it. And then yet you take this holistic approach, recognizing the power of the body to heal itself. And, it's just amazing how chiropractic can Find solutions to things that maybe the traditional medical route might not be able to resolve like the ear infections, right?

[00:07:09] Okay, just antibiotics. And it's actually, we can adjust things in a different way and allow the body to. fix itself, which is amazing. 

[00:07:17] Hannah: Yeah. Yeah. Like it's everything we do. Our techniques are very evidence based. And at the same time, I think a lot of chiropractors, what makes them special is that they're encouraging their patients to like drop into their bodies and turn, tune into their bodies.

[00:07:32] And what's the, like the subtleties of what's going on inside the body, which I think is A lot of, we're seeing a lot more practitioners doing that, which is amazing. 

[00:07:44] Cynthia: Yeah. Yes. The integrative holistic movement. Let's go. 

[00:07:49] Hannah: Exactly. 

[00:07:51] Cynthia: Oh I know that you also have a specialty working in something called the Webster technique and I only discovered this through you, so I'm sure there are tons of people out there who have no idea that this even exists and is an option.

[00:08:08] So can you share what the Webster technique is and why it's great in particular for prenatal chiropractic care? 

[00:08:18] Hannah: Absolutely, yeah. So the Webster technique is a specific chiropractic analysis and adjustment that reduces nervous system stress. balances pelvic bones, muscles and ligaments and optimizes parents pelvic function in pregnancy and birth.

[00:08:34] So what that means is we assess a pregnant person's pelvis, the bones, the ligaments, the tendons the structure, and we find any imbalance there and we use adjustments and some like massage techniques to balance that out so that a, the pregnant person feel Less discomfort and it also creates an optimal environment for baby to get into an optimal position To be ready for labor and delivery 

[00:09:08] Cynthia: Yeah, cuz I know I was looking into the Webster technique a little more and I was really surprised to find that It can support flipping a breech baby because I know that's something that a lot of people Have a lot of fear around and feel like there's no solution to or they're like, do I have to stand on my head?

[00:09:26] What's going on? How does this chiropractic method help with a breech baby? 

[00:09:33] Hannah: Totally, and I'm so glad you brought that up because that's a lot of times what Why people hear about it. And we with as chiropractors, we have to be very careful how we talk about it too, because, if we're doing anything that's affecting the baby, that's considered obstetrics, and that's outside of our scope.

[00:09:52] So we have to keep all of our focus on what's happening with the pregnant person's pelvis. And so what can happen is so this is hard when it's just audio and not visual, but I'll try to paint a picture for you. Yes. Imagine the two pelvic bones, right? The bones that like look like big elephant ears, they like create that bowl of your pelvis in the very back of those.

[00:10:18] is your sacrum, which is the bottom or the base of your spine. It's like an upside down triangle. So there are some ligaments that attach from the uterus to that sacrum at the base of your spine. And that's what holds the uterus in place and keeps it where it's supposed to be. So if there is an imbalance in your sacrum, so if that sacrum is twisted right or twisted left, that's actually going to move.

[00:10:46] The uterus because they're connected via those ligaments. If that uterus is moved, that changes the shape of it, and that changes the position that baby has to get into to be there comfortably. So what we can do. with this technique is try to balance out that sacrum again. So there's no pulling on either side of the uterus.

[00:11:10] It's just in a neutral position. And if there's no pulling on either side of the uterus, then baby can be in the most comfortable position, which is like head down, left occiput anterior. Which is like the ideal position for giving birth. 

[00:11:28] Cynthia: So it's setting up the environment of the baby in a way that invites it to move into that optimal position.

[00:11:40] I love that. Which 

[00:11:42] Hannah: is really falls in line with the chiropractic philosophy as a whole. Because it's we're not fixing ear infections. We're not fixing sciatica. What we're doing is we're setting up your body to be in a position where there's not strain on the nervous system when there's not strain on those muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments.

[00:12:01] And your then your body just functions in the way it was physiologically built to function. And so it it's in line with that, too. We're never doing anything to the baby. We're just setting up an ideal environment. 

[00:12:15] Advertisement: Ah, big breath in. Northeast Wellness is a community acupuncture and wellness clinic in northeast Minneapolis, offering affordable and accessible healthcare for all. Float therapy is the practice of floating in water with dense salt concentration in a sensory deprived environment. The water and air inside of the tank match skin temperature, while the insulated walls of the tank block all sound and light.

[00:12:41] This combination gives your body a deeply relaxing experience that encourages you to go into a peaceful meditative state. Float therapy isn't just a unique and fun experience, it can provide a range of health benefits like stress relief, migraine relief, increased quality of sleep, pain relief, and improved physical recovery.

[00:13:01] Learn more at northeast wellness, minneapolis. com. That's N E wellness M P L S. com. And get your first float for only 45. When you use code well connected.

[00:13:15] Cynthia: Amazing. How did you find out about the Webster technique? Cause that's just, that's amazing.

[00:13:21] Hannah: Yeah. Great question. I, when I was in school we were taught about it and then just getting to, again, shadow other chiropractors. When you're in school, you can just go into as many chiropractic offices as you want. Everybody just lets you in and observe and seeing. The effectiveness and again taking that strain off the uterus so baby can find a comfortable position and the effectiveness in reducing things like sciatica, pubic symphysis pain, hip pain, low back pain.

[00:13:52] All those things that like sometimes your doctor will just tell you like, oh, this is just part of being pregnant or you're just going to have to deal with this all these things. There is a resource and a tool for helping relieve those. And so I just got to see it being practiced a lot and then had my own pregnancy and had it done on me while I was pregnant.

[00:14:15] And it made such a huge difference. I was like, okay. I need to bring this into my practice. 

[00:14:20] Cynthia: Yes, pay it forward and provide what helps you. Okay, so I really love that you brought up this provider patient dynamic with pregnant women or pregnant bodies just because I also have a friend who is pregnant right now and she's dealing with round ligament pain.

[00:14:42] Just at the front of her belly, she just feels this strain, this pain. I remember I was visiting her and I made her laugh too hard. And she was like, Oh, and she was like in bed. And she was like in agony. I'm like. This sounds terrible, especially, just knowing one day I would like to be pregnant and I'm like, ah I don't know about that because I asked her, I'm like, can you do any stretches?

[00:15:03] Can you do something about the pain to relieve it? And I was surprised to hear her say that her provider shrugged and said you could do stretches. But, It's just something you're going to deal with. It's just something that happens in the second trimester. It'll go away in the third.

[00:15:19] So just, you might just take some ibuprofen and deal with it. And I was like, what, what this, I don't, I'm not happy with this answer. 

[00:15:28] Hannah: Me neither. 

[00:15:29] Cynthia: Oh my gosh. So first of all, great to know that there is something you can do. I wonder since this is something, most people typically just go to their primary care provider and maybe they come to chiropractic.

[00:15:44] I know it's usually, back problems or pains. How often are you educating patients that you already have for other reasons that like, hey, I can actually support with round ligament pain or with breech baby or all of these other things that come with pregnancy versus how often are people coming to you like, Oh, I need help with this specifically and I know you can do it.

[00:16:09] Hannah: That's such a great question. It's more me educating people on this is what we can help you with. Don't worry, you don't have to suffer with this. Even with the round ligament pain. for Any listeners that don't know exactly what that is. So the round ligament is what connects the uterus to the front wall of the abdomen.

[00:16:27] So before we were talking about what connects it in the back to the sacrum that round ligament connects it in the front. And as that uterus grows and changes position, those ligaments. Also increase in size and diameter, they get thicker, they get longer and that can be a really painful. And so there are techniques that we can do to help release tension on those round ligaments.

[00:16:50] It's like massage I can teach patients how to do it at home. We can do it in the office. And so it is a lot of things like it. It comes down to when somebody's in the office like asking a lot of questions about how they're feeling and a lot of times it's I'm sure you can't help with this, but my sinuses have been so congested since I got pregnant or things like that.

[00:17:10] And oftentimes the answer is yes, we actually can do something for that we can do a sinus release or. I can recommend something for you to do at home, or a supplement to take, or I know this person that does this thing that I think could help you. And yeah, it is If someone's mostly just familiar with the Western model of medicine, where it's okay, we could do a pill, we could do a surgery, we could do an injection.

[00:17:36] That's what people have in their minds. And when you're pregnant, you can't do most of those things. And so they just feel I just have to suffer through this. But hopefully we can get this information out there and it can be. More like common knowledge that these are things that you don't just have to suffer through.

[00:17:57] Cynthia: Yeah. And it's just, it just stinks because I feel like the medical system and just the history of humanity, a woman's pain is not. worth investigating, right? That's just the history. 

[00:18:11] Hannah: We have no research on women. Yes. So 

[00:18:18] Cynthia: it's good to know that, even if that is the history, there is emerging research.

[00:18:24] There is emerging interest in a woman's pain that is specific to what the female body goes through. So I'm curious if you're aware of any specific research done on the Webster technique for some of these symptoms like sciatic nerve pain, wrong ligament pain, etc.

[00:18:43] Is there data that we can point to and say, boom, look at that. 

[00:18:48] Hannah: Totally. Yeah. With research on this, like most issues that are quote unquote women's issues there's not nearly enough research, but there is some, and hopefully going forward there's more, but a big study that a lot of chiropractors will point to that was one that was done, it was done a while ago back in 2002, but it surveyed a bunch of chiropractors who were taking their patients through the Webster technique, they were pregnant patients.

[00:19:17] They were screened out for certain things, but there was, 1047 patients studied and. Of those, there was an 82 percent success rate which they determined a success rate as from that imbalance, they were able to correct it.

[00:19:33] So either baby position improved. physical symptoms improved. There's like a whole criteria you can read if you look up the paper. But they considered it an 82 percent success rate, which is extremely high for a technique that's a hands on physical technique.

[00:19:48] There was also a study done in 2017 that surveyed 343 patients about more subjective stuff, like quality of life improvements, and they found a lot of improvements in decreased pain, decreased fatigue. Less sleep issues and then more satisfaction and social roles, which is really interesting. They didn't dive into a lot of it.

[00:20:09] Like, why that was why that felt better. But that was just like, 1 of the markers that they saw change. And so there's a couple like research articles that you can look up. But again, not nearly enough. Hopefully there's more done in the future. That information can get out there. 

[00:20:25] Cynthia: Amazing.

[00:20:26] Yeah. And we can also link these studies in the show notes if anyone's, yeah, if anyone's curious to dig a little further in there. 

[00:20:34] Hannah: All you nerds out there. You want to look at these chambers. You got them. 

[00:20:38] Cynthia: Oh, that's awesome. I wonder too about the success stories that you've got to witness. I'm sure you've got.

[00:20:47] Of course, protecting client data and information, but if there's something that could maybe, just show us what's possible. 

[00:20:57] Hannah: Yeah. Lots of stories of I had a patient who was 36 weeks pregnant and found out that baby was breached and we are able to get mother's pelvis to a position where baby could get head down at 38 weeks before going into labor.

[00:21:16] Lots of cases of I had horrible pubic symphysis pain, like pain in the front of the pelvis that was completely gone after a few visits. Lots of improvement in sciatic pain, low back pain. It's so exciting to see those real life examples. And even if it's not recorded in a study, those like actual life examples. Can speak volumes. 

[00:21:44] Cynthia: Exactly. Yeah those case studies, right? Case studies, yes. Individuals. 

[00:21:49] Hannah: And of one, yeah. 

[00:21:51] Cynthia: Yes. 

[00:21:52] Advertisement: Well Connected exists to help you discover the practitioner that aligns with your values. We believe that finding the right fit should be simple and maybe even fun. When you visit wellconnectedtwincities. com, you can search for local practitioners by categories like chiropractic or herbalism, or you can search by condition or symptom in the directory to find practitioners of various healing modalities who can help.

[00:22:20] Discover over 100 local practitioners, browse articles, take classes, and listen to interviews by these very practitioners to learn who is the right fit for you. No matter what it is, we are here to help you say yes to the next stop on your healing journey. 

[00:22:38] Cynthia: Now if a listener is like, Okay, I'm pregnant, or I know someone who's pregnant, and this could really be supportive. How do people look for chiropractors who really know the Webster technique?

[00:22:52] It sounds like it's something maybe chiropractors all have maybe studied a little bit in their coursework, but, is there a certain kind of certificate or special credential to look for if someone specializes in that? Or, what kind of questions are people asking their chiropractors about this?

[00:23:09] Hannah: Absolutely. Yeah, it is a certification beyond just like the regular chiropractic degree. And if you're looking for somebody who is Webster certified, if you just type into Google, find a Webster certified chiropractor, the first link that shows up is the link through the ICPA. That's just the like group that does the certification through chiropractic in the chiropractic world.

[00:23:34] So they have a a database. Yeah. You click on that link, there's just a a search bar that you can put in your zip code or city, how big of a radius you want to look for, and it'll give you the names of chiropractors who are certified in the Webster technique, and those who have a pediatric certification, which I am currently working on.

[00:23:56] I'll be under that list soon. Yeah, so you can find like someone to help you through. Pregnancy and then once baby arrives if you. want to get baby adjusted, there's people who are pediatric certified in that directory also. 

[00:24:09] Cynthia: That's so exciting. We'll have to do another episode.

[00:24:12] That's awesome. So now if listeners are like, okay, great. I could find a Webster trained chiropractor for myself and my area. If someone happens to be in the Twin Cities and they're like, I want to work with Hannah, how do they work with 

[00:24:29] Hannah: you? 

[00:24:29] Yeah, so if you go to my website, which I believe we'll link here too, it's dakotachiroclinic.

[00:24:35] com. There's lots of information. You can get a feel for what our environment is like, what our practitioners are like, and there's a million buttons on the website for booking an appointment so we can book a free consultation. We'll check on your insurance. If you want to go through insurance, we'll communicate with your OB or your midwife or whoever you're working with to make sure we're a good fit.

[00:24:58] But yeah, you can get all that information on our website. 

[00:25:02] Cynthia: PErfect. And that'll also be linked in the show notes. So everything's right there for you. Hannah. I know we've been able to talk about just chiropractic as a whole, but also specifically the Webster technique and how it can support bodies who are going through pregnancy.

[00:25:23] If there was one takeaway that listeners walked away from this conversation with, what would you hope it would be? 

[00:25:29] Hannah: Yeah, in our culture, we live like up in our minds a lot, right? We're very like thinking kind of people and we're not encouraged to be feeling a whole lot.

[00:25:40] And during pregnancy, it's one of those times in life where you're forced into your body more and forced to feel more. And for some people, That's really not enjoyable because they're feeling pain, they're feeling discomfort, they're feeling fatigue and dysfunction, and they're just, they're feeling like , they're like not themselves.

[00:26:02] And I just want those people to know that it doesn't have to be like that. And there are resources out there to help you. Feel more connected to your body in a positive way. And so if you are someone who's out there and you're Pregnant and you're like this sucks. I really am NOT enjoying that's we can help and other Chiropractors and other body workers and other practitioners can help make that more of an enjoyable experience To connect to your body in and we're out there.

[00:26:32] We're out there and we can help you 

[00:26:33] Cynthia: Yeah, that's amazing. I feel like the pregnancy journey is such an amplifier, like you said, right? So the things that maybe we typically could ignore or avoid, it's like, nope, it's time to address this. 

[00:26:51] Hannah: Shines a spotlight on it. Yes, exactly. 

[00:26:54] Cynthia: And then, of course, then the motherhood journey is whew, a whole nother amplification process.

[00:27:00] Hannah: We need community through all of it. No matter who you are, no matter what. Yeah, we need community through all of it. 

[00:27:06] Cynthia: Thank you so much, Hannah, for shining a light on what. Is typically pushed under the rug, avoided, maybe brushed off is not a big deal. I love just knowing women's pains.

[00:27:22] matter. Discomfort matters and there are solutions out there. So I appreciate you just sharing that wisdom. I hope that this, I know that this will help at least one person out there just to know that there are solutions available. 

[00:27:39] Hannah: Thank you, Cynthia. And thank you for your very insightful questions and stimulating conversation.

[00:27:44] This was just, yeah, a joy to chat with you. 

[00:27:48] Cynthia: Thank you so much for listening to the Well Connected Twin Cities podcast. Did you learn something new? Did you feel that spark of hope and excitement for what is possible? Because so much is possible. Tell us about it in a review on Apple podcast. Not only would we absolutely love hearing from you, but these reviews help our ratings and help other curious minds like you find this resource.

[00:28:13] We are always better together. Thank you again and see you next time.