New Research on Chiropractic and Vaginal Births After Caesarean

Recent research reported in the Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic on a woman experiencing a vaginal delivery after a previous Caesarean reveals that chiropractic may play an important role in helping pregnant women deliver normally in such situations. The research discussed a case of a woman pregnant with twins who wanted to deliver vaginally after a Caesarean two years prior. The woman was also experiencing low back and hip pain.

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“Research is revealing that chiropractic care can play a crucial role during pregnancy, labor and delivery” stated Dr. Pamela Stone, Managing Editor of the journal that published the study. “The research showing that chiropractic can result in these types of outcomes thereby avoiding dangerous interventional techniques such as C-sections is growing” added Dr. Stone. 

Despite widespread education and efforts to curb dangerous birthing interventions such as Caesarean sections, their use remains high and concerns amongst health care advocates is growing. The concern centers around the use of high-risk interventions for “convenience” of the doctor or mother without taking into consideration the long term effects of a traumatic birth on the child. 

“It makes a lot of sense when you think about it” stated Dr. Matthew McCoy, a chiropractor, public health researcher and editor of the journal that published the study “We see this shocking increase in the number of interventional procedures during birth when there are alternatives such as the use of chiropractic to allow the mother and child to have a normal birth. We need to take advantage of these advances.” 

As pointed out in the paper, chiropractic can play a beneficial role during pregnancy and the birth process in cases where the mother is experiencing some type of distortion or twisting of her pelvis and related musculature that is interfering with the baby’s position or the delivery process.

“The goal is for the mother to be checked prior to the time of delivery so that these problems can be corrected beforehand” remarked Dr. Stone adding “While this is only a single case study, coupled with numerous other case studies that have shown similar outcomes, it’s time that health care providers started taking it seriously.” 

The patient reported on in the study was a 34-year-old female in her 16th week of gestation with twin girls who reported that her first pregnancy two years prior resulted in a Caesarean due to the frank breech position of the baby. She was experiencing sacroiliac, hip and buttock pain that were getting progressively worse. Being on her feet and climbing stairs made her pain worse. She was involved in car accident at 16 years of age and experienced pelvic pain and she also fractured her spine when she was young.  

The chiropractor examined the woman and found anterior head carriage, abnormal posture and structural shifts in her neck, mid back, low back and pelvis. These structural shifts can lead to obstruction of the nerves and it is this obstruction, called vertebral subluxations, that chiropractors correct. Testing confirmed the nerve obstructions. 

After three chiropractic visits the pain was gone and she eventually delivered two girls vaginally without complications despite her prior Caesarean section. 

The authors of the study call for more research on the role of chiropractic care in pregnancy and delivery.         

Contact Information: 

Matthew McCoy DC, MPH
Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health – Chiropractic
http://www.chiropracticpediatricresearch.com
support@vertebralsubluxationresearch.com