Wood's screw maneuver is practiced inobstetrics when dealing withshoulder dystocia – a condition in which thefetal shoulders cannot easily pass through thevagina. In this maneuver theanterior shoulder is pushed towards the baby's chest, and theposterior shoulder is pushed towards the baby's back,[1] making the baby's head somewhat face the mother's rectum.
This maneuver is tried only after theMcRoberts maneuver, and application of suprapubic (lower abdomen) pressure have been tried.[2]
It is named after Charles Edwin Woods, who was the first to examine this maneuver in detail.[2]