Is the Finnish grip tight enough? A manometric study of two manual perineal protection techniques

Abstract

Several manual perineal protection techniques have been proposed, while some were proven to be harmful;1 others such as the “Finnish grip” were proven effective.2 In the Finnish technique (FMPP), the thumb and index fingers of the dominant hand are used to reduce tension on the posterior fourchette by squeezing the lateral perineal aspects toward the midline. The flexed middle finger in coordination with non-dominant hand facilitates slow and controlled head expulsion.3, 4 In contrast, in the Viennese technique (VMPP), the upward displacement of the fetal head is facilitated by ulnar part of the accoucheur's dominant hand, while the extended middle, ring and little fingers are used to support the index finger in reducing the perineal stretch.4 Proponents of VMPP argue that the grip with index finger and thumb alone is insufficient for proper midline strain reduction. In our experiment, we set out to measure and compare index finger and thumb forces exerted when performing these maneuvers