• Kyle S Fisher, Alan T Arnholt, Michal E Douglas, Scott L Vandiver, and Daniel H Nguyen.
• Watauga Anesthesia Associates, PA, USA. kylefisher@bellsouth.ne
• Anesth. Analg. 2009 Aug 1; 109 (2): 532-4.

BackgroundAnecdotal and experimental evidence suggest that a sitting position with maximum knee extension, hip adduction, and forward lean (hamstring stretch position) may produce better reversal of the lumbar lordosis than a traditional sitting position.MethodsIn a randomized trial during initiation of epidural labor analgesia, we compared the traditional versus hamstring stretch positions. The primary outcome was the number of needle-bone contacts.ResultsThe groups were equivalent with respect to the number of needle-bone contacts.ConclusionsThe hamstring stretch position is equivalent to the traditional sitting position in terms of the number of needle-bone contacts encountered when placing labor epidural needles.

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