Chiropractic and Breech Babies During Pregnancy

Woman and pregnancy

At some point during the course of her pregnancy, a woman may begin to experience low back pain and even sciatica, that is, radiating pain down the back of a leg. The likely explanation for most of these cases of obstetric-related low back pain is the increased mechanical load due to the weight of the developing fetus, amniotic fluid, and placenta. Many times, low back pain is transient and resolves on its own. However, pregnancy-associated low back pain may persist for more than a week and require conservative treatment to help reduce pain and achieve resolution.

Chiropractic care is the optimal conservative treatment for pregnancy-related low back pain, with or without sciatica. The musculoskeletal structures affected by the increased weight of pregnancy are the vertebral joints of the lumbar spine, the sacroiliac joints, the local ligaments, and spinal musculature. The sacroiliac joints, especially, contain numerous pain receptors and sacroiliac joint dysfunction often causes a substantial component of a pregnant woman's low back pain.

Chiropractic care identifies, analyzes, and corrects these sources of lumbar spine and sacroiliac joint dysfunction and nerve irritation. As a result, information exchange between the brain and the rest of the body is optimized. The ability of the lumbar vertebrae and the sacroiliac joints to bear weight and manage the increased mechanical stresses of pregnancy is facilitated. Stimulation to pain receptors is reduced and the supporting musculature is enabled to relax. Function improves and a sense of improving health and well-being is restored.

In the case of a breech presentation, the buttocks and/or feet of the fetus are positioned closest to the birth canal, rather than in the more typical vertex presentation, with the fetus's head being closest to the route of delivery. A breech presentation occurs during 3-4% of all full-term births. Factors that may be associated with a breech presentation include prior pregnancy, the presence of twins, and too little or too much amniotic fluid. A breech presentation may be identified by specific palpation of the abdomen and confirmed, if needed, by an ultrasound of pelvic examination.

Chiropractic care may be utilized in the overall healthcare management of a breech presentation. If the pregnant mother-to-be chooses a vaginal delivery, chiropractic care may be employed to provide integrative support. By detecting and correcting spinal misalignments and sources of nerve interference in the mother-to-be, chiropractic care helps to optimize all of her physiological processes, including supporting the health and well-being of her developing fetus. By helping to restore and maintain peak physiological function in the mother-to-be, chiropractic care helps provide an environment that supports the activities of other members of the healthcare team in attempts to turn the fetus so that the orientation is head down, and otherwise helps support an optimal outcome of a vaginal delivery.

1Berhan Y, Haileamlak A: The risks of planned vaginal breech delivery versus planned caesarean section for term breech birth: a meta-analysis including observational studies. Brit J Obstet Gynecol 123(1):49-57, 2016

2Fischbein SJ, Freeze R: Breech birth at home: outcomes of 60 breech and 109 cephalic planned home and birth center births. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 18(1):397, 2018 doi: 10.1186/s12884-018-2033-5

3Alcantara J, et al: The use of validated outcome measures in the chiropractic care of pregnant patients: A systematic review of the literature. Complement Ther Clin Pract 21(2):131-6, 2015


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  • "PAIN FREE! Over the years I have been to several different chiropractors. As a child, I was exposed to chiropractic care through my mother. Having arthritis, chiropractic was the one place she could get relief without drugs. Even so, not all chiropractors are equal and that was never made more clear to me than when I met Dr. Roy. Having complained of lower back pain to a former chiropractor, I was never able to get any relief. It wasn't until I started being treated by Dr. Roy that I was able to go weeks without pain. I even had a manual physical therapist tell me I had scarred tissue and would never truly be pain free. Dr. Roy's methods were new to me and I was a little skeptical at first, but after a month or so of treatment I was able to go for several weeks without ANY pain! I am a believer now and I will be coming back as often as I can!!!"
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  • "THE MIRACLE DOCTOR! A friend recommended Dr. Roy to me because I could hardly walk and I was in great pain. He took x-rays and treated me immediately and it really help right away. That was in 2019. He saw me twice a week for many months before I went to once a week. He has educated me on many different situations concerning my back and that's why I call him "The Miracle Doctor.""
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    Little did I know that in just two sessions Dr. Roy would have me almost as good as new!
    Thanks again for hearing my complaint and knowing exactly how to adjust T1/T2/C7 areas on my neck for instant, long lasting relief."
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