DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE TORTICOLLIS? (continued)
to the positioning of your furniture and layout of your nursery. Infant torticollis is treated through a series of targeted exercises. Your pediatrician will talk to you about at-home strategies that you can use to encouragemore neckmovement to reduce stiffness and to help your child overcome the concern. It is not a good idea to try any activities that may encouragemovement of the neck without first discussing the concernwith your pediatrician, and under no circumstances should you try to force your child’s neck to move one way over another. Torticollis Throughout a Child’s Development As torticollis is a condition caused by the shortening of the strenocleidomastoid muscle, it can occur throughout a child’s development. Torticollis can manifest from a neck injury, change in neck positioning, illness, or birth (Congenital Muscular Torticollis). Children with torticollis may exhibit postural asymmetry. Most with torticollis showa left head tilt, with a right head turn. Their left shoulder may be elevated, left arm internally rotated and left handmay be fisted. Some childrenwith torticollis also have oral motor problems. Theymay have an openmouth posture and their tonguemay be pulled to one side. All of these issues will affect feeding. Some Associated Problems Related to Torticollis Include: • Delayed motor development • Visual disturbances (visual field, astigmatism) • Orthodontic and jaw problems (TMJ) • Auditory problems • Oral motor problems (jaw/tongue alignment, muscle strength) • Plagiocephaly (abnormal head shape) • Spine problems • Misalignment of the hip joint (hip dysplasia)
Understanding Torticollis Everyone wakes up time to time with a stiff neck. Sleeping awkwardly on your pillow, or falling asleep in a chair instead of your bed may leave your neck feeling tense and limit your range of motion. This is essentially the problemwith infant torticollis. The difference being that, as an adult, you know that you have the ability to move your neck and that the stiffness is a result of awkward positioning. For newborns, the stiffness in their necks is all they ever know. So, while they experience pain and discomfort from the stiffness, they are not starting to naturally move their neck in the same way as other children. This can be concerning for a parent, but it is important to recognize that there are therapeutic options to support infants who experience this problem. The best way to help your child overcome the concern is to be proactive. There is no explanation as to why some babies develop torticollis while others don’t. All babies grow in the womb, but some babies become cramped and develop this stiffness in their neck as a result. Torticollis is typically recognized by the neonatal staff in the hospital when the infant is born, but there are some cases in which you may notice the concern gradually after returning home with your infant. Symptoms Of Torticollis in an Infant Include: • Constant or almost constant tilting of the head in one direction • Demonstrated preference for looking in one direction over another • Difficulty breastfeeding on one side •Frustration and difficultywith turning in one direction instead of another If you notice one ormore of these concerns, then it is a good idea to bring attention to the problemwith your infant’s pediatrician. Your pediatrician can assess the issue and consider if there is a clear preference for physical reasons or if other concernsmay be at play. For example, some infantsmay prefer one breast over another as a result of a cloggedmilk duct, or perhaps your infant looks onewaymore often than another due
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