Torticollis is really just a fancy word for tightness in the neck that causes babies to tilt and turn their head a certain way. Babies with torticollis have a hard time getting out of that tilted and turned position. Most of the time, this is first noticed by parents when their cute little baby is tilted and turned the same way in every photo (because what new parent doesn’t take 100 photos of their baby everyday?). This tightness often causes the child to spend more time resting on one side of their head while laying down than on the other, resulting in a flatness of the skull called plagiocephaly.
Now you may be thinking, why does it matter if my kid has a tight neck and slightly misshapen head? Won’t they grow out of it? The truth is that neck tightness affects how the rest of the body moves and develops as the baby grows. When there is tightness on one side of the neck, there is usually weakness on the other. If they have a hard time turning their head or holding their head in midline then they will also have a hard time with other developmental skills such as reaching, rolling, sitting, crawling, etc.
The good news is, early intervention from a pediatric physical therapist can successfully resolve torticollis before any of those other issues arise! The sooner we see your baby in the clinic, the better the outcomes and the faster we can get it resolved. We love to see babies in PT as early as 2-3 months old. This gives us a nice window to work with your baby to try resolving any plagiocephaly they may have before we consider helmeting. If helmeting ends up being needed to help reshape your child’s head, your physical therapist will help you through that process step by step.
I know as a parent, any type of diagnosis that your perfect little baby receives can be really scary, especially if you aren’t sure what to expect. Your child’s physical therapist will work with you and teach you the necessary stretches, positioning techniques, and exercises to do with your baby at home. We make these activities easy and practical to incorporate into your day which also allows fun bonding time with you and your baby!
At the end of the day, you know your child better than anyone and if you have concerns, always bring it up with your pediatrician. You are your baby’s best advocate. From one parent to another…you’ve got this!
Hear what a parent has to say about her daughter’s experience with torticollis treatment!
“From the moment we started treatment for our daughter’s torticollis, Michaela and the team at the Center for Physical Rehabilitation made us feel right at home. Their thorough and thoughtful approach to working with our daughter made it simple to continue the work and exercises at home. While our daughter thought she just got to play at this amazing and friendly place, Michaela and the team were diligently analyzing her movements and encouraging alternate approaches to aid in her improvement. “ -Lisa
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