torticollis

Kristina - posted on 02/19/2012

My son is six months now. A physical therapist from ECI comes and sees him four times a month. He had torticollis when he was born and it caused his head to come out to a weird shape because he would only lay on his left side. The physical therapist worked the muscle out really well and showed me some stretches I could do to make it better. Now he has a S.T.A.R band helmet to reshape his head and his torticollis is gone.

Brittney - posted on 02/12/2012

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/11...



http://www.babycenter.com/0_torticollis_...



http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art....



http://pmj.bmj.com/content/41/481/699.fu...



One of my specialties is bringing information from reliable sources.



Treatment: Your child's doctor may refer you to a physical therapist or an orthopedic surgeon (bone and joint doctor).

Congenital muscular torticollis is typically treated with stretching and positioning. You'll need to perform these exercises on your baby several times a day. The moves aren't complicated, but make sure you understand them and are comfortable doing them before you leave the doctor's or physical therapist's office.

If your baby has muscular torticollis, you'll want to provide as many opportunities as possible for her to turn her head to the side that she normally doesn't turn to. If she has trouble turning her head to the right, for example, you could lay her on the changing table so you're standing at her right side. And position her in the crib so she has to look to her right to see anyone approaching her.

It's also important to give your baby plenty of time on her tummy when she's awake, to help develop the muscles in her neck.



As long as your baby's muscular torticollis is discovered early enough – ideally by the age of 2 or 3 months – and you're following the prescribed stretching program, you'll probably see improvement within weeks. The condition should be fully corrected by age 1.

If, however, the muscles don't return to their normal length and your baby doesn't have a normal range of motion by the time she's 18 months old, your doctor may refer you to an orthopedic surgeon, who may recommend surgery to lengthen the muscles. Surgery is performed in about 15 percent of cases.