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Torticollis and How Physical Therapy Can Help

Are you new or expecting parents? Chances are you may not know what torticollis is. It is a diagnosis that you need to be aware of as it can affect your newborn. As with most medical diagnosis, knowledge is power. Knowing what to look for and what steps to take can significantly increase healing time and decrease the chance of motor deficits.

It is unclear what is the exact cause of torticollis is but doctors believe it can be because of how the baby is positioned in the womb, birth trauma or positioning after the baby is born. Torticollis affects the Sternocleidomastoid muscle in the neck which is responsible for tilting and rotating your head. When this muscle is tight is causes one side of the neck to be tighter than the other. Some of the signs and symptoms that you will notice are:

  • The infant will present with a head tilt which makes it challenging to turn head towards the direction of the tightened side. You may see that your baby favors turning their head only one direction.
  • They may have a flattened head due to preferring one side over the other. Some know this as “flat head syndrome.”
  • The infant may prefer to nurse one direction more than the other and will sleep with head turned in a preferred direction.

If diagnosed before one year, Torticollis can often be treated with physical therapy with success. Many of our clinics have therapists that specialize in pediatrics and can treat torticollis. Treatment sessions are focused on:

  • stretching the shortened muscles
  • performing different activities to improve head rotation
  • cranial/cervical muscle massage
  • tummy time to improve cervical muscle strength and head control
  • hip exercises and stretches are often included as well as these muscles can be tightened due to the abnormal positioning
  • exercises and activities to help the infant achieve their milestones

Another critical part of our physical therapy program is educating parents on what to do at home to help. This includes demonstrating the stretches and practicing with the parents so that they are comfortable performing at home. We also demonstrate and give ideas on performing different activities with their infant to encourage head turning towards the tightened side to improve neck motion.

Some examples of these activities would include

  • having them turn to that side to eat
  • placing toys or making noise on the affected side to have them turn their head
  • Tummy time is always encouraged for all infants but especially for those with torticollis as this position helps strengthen the weakened muscles

We also offer videos and handouts of stretches and exercise to help parents at home.

If you suspect your infant may have torticollis or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us! #wetreatthat!

Content provided by Melissa Edwards, PTA.

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