The AAO Journal, 2000/06, 10(2):25-33, type of study: ,ret,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Free full text   (https://www.academyofosteopathy.org/aaoj)

Keywords:

cesarean section delivery [1]
childbirth [59]
complications [32]
economics [58]
female [655]
OMT [3925]
osteopathic manipulative treatment [3946]
pre-term delivery [1]
pregnancy [174]
prenatal care [8]
retrospective study [339]
umbilical cord prolapse [1]
women [608]

Abstract:

Since the inception of the osteopathic profession, osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) has been applied during pregnancy. The subjective observation by a number of osteopathic physicians has been that women treated with OMT during pregnancy reported a low rate of complications of labor and delivery. The reviewed literature revealed only a few objective or subjective reports on the possible relationship between OMT during pregnancy and pregnancy outcomes. In the current comparative study, the medical records of 155 women who received OMT during pregnancy were reviewed. The records were examined for the occurence of meconium-stained amniotic fluid (MSAF), pre-term delivery (PTD), umbilical cord prolapse (UCP), use of forceps, and cesarean section delivery. Literature review and meta-analysis derived rates of occurrence for the outcomes under consideration. The results for MSAF were a population rate of 14.6% and an OMT rate of 7.1%. For PTD, population rate of 10.0% and an OMT rate of 3.2%. For UCP the population rate was 1.5% and OMT rate 0%. For forceps, the population rate was 19.5% and the OMT rate 6.4%. C-section population rate was 21.6% and the OMT rate 16.1%. Findings suggest OMT reduced the complications of labor and delivery considered in this study. Health policy implications are discussed and a prospective study is proposed.