Resolution of Breech Presentation Confirmed by Ultrasound Following Chiropractic

The Journal of Pediatric, Maternal & Family Health published the results of a case study on May 14, 2020, documenting the resolution of a breech presentation pregnancy following chiropractic care utilizing the Webster technique. The normal position for a fetus prior to birth is with the head downward, known as the "vertex position." When the fetus has the head upward, it is known as breech.

According to the study "The most common fetal malposition is breech. About 30% of all fetuses will present as breech before 28 weeks of gestation, but by the 34th week a majority will flip to vertex presentation, the ideal position for delivery." When discovered, most breech presentations result in a cesarean birth instead of the vaginal one.

The medical approach to turning a fetus when the mother is close to birth is a procedure known as external cephalic version (ECV). This is when the physician physically pushes the baby inside the mother in an attempt to return the baby to a normal position. This procedure is not without a high risk of complications and, according to the study, has a fairly low success rate.

In this case, a 28-year-old woman in the 33rd week of her pregnancy went to the chiropractor to see if she could get some help with her breech pregnancy. The woman had been seeing a midwife who was present when the woman came to the chiropractor. This was the woman’s first pregnancy, and she had never experienced chiropractic care before. The woman was also suffering from hip pain on both sides.

A chiropractic examination was performed which included a visual postural inspection, range of motion examinations, spinal palpation, a temperature thermal scan, and a surface EMG scan of the woman’s spine. The woman was also analyzed using the Webster Technique analysis.

With the determination of the presence of subluxations, specific adjustments utilizing the Webster technique were performed on the woman on a series of visits. After eight visits, the woman reported that the fetus had turned head down into the normal vertex position. The woman continued her chiropractic care through her pregnancy and was able to deliver her baby vaginally.

In the discussion section of the study, the authors explain chiropractic care for pregnancy by saying, "Chiropractic has a history of benefit to the pregnant woman. Chiropractic adjustments are intended to remove or reduce vertebral subluxations from the spine." They continue the explanation, "Chiropractors determine the subluxations through appropriate instrumentation, objective and subjective analysis. Chiropractic subluxations can have health alterations present with and without symptoms."

In their conclusion the authors wrote, "Over a one-month period the fetus turned from breech presentation to vertex presentation with the only change in care being the addition of chiropractic adjustments. After 7 chiropractic adjustments it was confirmed by ultrasound the fetus had moved to a vertex position. Continuing under chiropractic care the mother went on to have a normal vaginal birth without complications."