Pregnancy back pain
As your body changes week by week, your lower back often ends up carrying weight it wasn’t built to hold alone. The Webster Technique looks at your pelvis and sacrum, not just the sore spot.
What people usually describe
- An ache low in the back that builds as the day goes on
- Trouble finding a comfortable position to sleep in
- Stiffness getting up from a chair or the couch
- A change in how your hips feel as your belly grows
Not just the ache
By the third trimester, a looser pelvis, a shifted center of gravity and overworked back muscles are usually all happening at once, not one at a time. The Webster Technique looks at how your pelvis and sacrum are moving, since that’s often where the strain settles first. Gentle, pregnancy safe adjustment work, done with a pregnancy pillow so you can lie face down comfortably, aims to give the joints in that area their mobility back, rather than just easing the ache for an afternoon.
What's usually behind it
Three physical changes build on each other as pregnancy goes on, and by the third trimester most people are dealing with two or three at once.
Loosening ligaments
A hormone called relaxin softens the ligaments around your pelvis, so joints that used to hold steady start to move more than they used to.
A shifting center of gravity
As your belly grows, your weight moves forward. Your lower back ends up carrying load it wasn’t built to hold on its own.
Muscles working overtime
Some muscles lengthen and weaken as your posture changes, so others pick up the slack, and those are usually the ones that end up sore.
How we'd approach it
“I use a pregnancy pillow so you can lie face down comfortably at every visit, and I always try to explain what I’m doing and why, so you feel at ease with the whole approach,” says Carly.
At your first visitWe take a full look at your posture, your pelvis and how your body has changed so far, not just where the ache is.
What treatment usually includesGentle, pregnancy safe adjustment work focused on the pelvis and sacrum, using a pregnancy pillow for comfort.
Between visitsGuidance on how to stand, sit and move to take pressure off your lower back, plus exercises to help you stay comfortable and mobile.
One step at a time
A first visit starts with a proper look at your posture, your pelvis and how your pregnancy is going, not just the ache itself. If we think this needs a different kind of care, we’ll say so.
