The Origin and Future of the ICPA and the Webster Technique
ICPA Chiropractic Newsletter Discover Chiropractic
-Justin Ohm, DC Appears in Pathways to Family Wellness Magazine Issue #83
The Webster Technique has long been the standard of care in the world of pregnancy chiropractic, but how did it all start?
The International Chiropractic Pediatric Association (ICPA) was founded in 1986 by Dr. Larry Webster in response to a proposed law in Connecticut that would restrict access to chiropractic care to any child under the age of 12 years. A provision in the proposed law made allowances if the chiropractor had received post graduate certification in pediatric care. That law ended up not passing, but the motivation and need for pediatric specific training was evident and thus the ICPA was born.
Around the same time, in addition to specializing in pediatric care, Dr. Webster developed a new method of assessing and adjusting pregnant women. Not only did these women report improvement in their pregnancy related symptoms, Dr. Webster noticed that women whose babies were in a breech position (head up rather than head down) reported that their babies turned head down after this specific chiropractic approach. The technique, aptly named after its developer, quickly became more popular as Dr. Webster began teaching it to his students (Dr. Webster was the clinic director at a major chiropractic school).
While pediatrics remained the focus of the ICPA in its early days, the idea of supporting pregnant women throughout pregnancy to help minimize the potential physical trauma of a medicalized birth process was growing among some of its members. One such member was Dr. Jeanne Ohm, who had had six home births of her own and considered a gentle birth to be of the utmost importance for the health and wellbeing of the mother and baby. Dr. Ohm was asked to become an instructor for the ICPA focusing on just this. In 2002, five years after Dr. Webster’s sudden passing, Dr. Jeanne Ohm, became the executive director of the ICPA and expanded the organization’s certification process to become a comprehensive post graduate diplomate program expanding its content pertaining to pregnancy care.
Over the next 20-plus years, the ICPA and the Webster Technique have grown in popularity in an astounding fashion. Five hundred ICPA members in the year 2000 grew to 9,000 members today. Awareness of the benefits of the Webster Technique has grown exponentially both within the chiropractic profession as well as into other pregnancy and birth professions, including midwives, doulas, and OB/GYNs. More and more women are embracing a proactive approach to their health and wellbeing during pregnancy, thereby supporting a safer and more gentle birth and delivery.
Today, the Webster Technique is taught in numerous chiropractic schools around the world, and is still one of the most popular and highly sought after certifications within the chiropractic profession. The ICPA is able to meet this demand with multiple instructors now focusing on teaching the technique, as well as a range of additional courses focusing on everything from preconception to postpartum care for chiropractors to become Perinatal Certified.
At a time when the standard western approach to birth and perinatal care is leaving so many women in search of a better, more holistic approach, the ICPA is determined to continue to support family centered care. Now more than ever, you can find the support you and your family need by looking for an ICPA-certified family chiropractor.
