What is Torticollis and How Do I Know if My Baby May Have It?

April 7, 2021
Uncategorized

What is Torticollis?

Torticollis is the shortening/tightness of the muscles on one side of the neck, typically the Sternocleidomastoid muscle. Due to this shortening/tightness they may always look to one side and be unable to look in the opposite direction. You can think about it like when an adult strains a muscle in their neck and it is uncomfortable or they are unable to move their head through their full range of motion. Torticollis is common in many infants and can easily be treated.

How Will I Know if My Baby May Have Torticollis?

Do you notice that when your baby is on their back, belly or seated position, that they always look to one side of their body and never or rarely look to the other side of their body? Due to the tightness in their neck muscles they have a preference to look to only one side. Additionally, they may have difficulty or are unable to turn to look toward the other side of their body.

What Could Have Caused the Torticollis?

Torticollis can occur for many reasons including:

Positioning Before Birth – Due to how your baby was positioned in utero, your baby may have always kept their head toward one direction which lead to the tight neck muscles. This is common with large babies and with multiples.
Positioning After Birth – It can also occur in the months following birth for a variety of reasons, which may include:
- How your baby is being held and fed;
- Toys/objects in their environment are always placed on one side of their body;
- They spend too much time in equipment such as swings, bouncers, car seats, etc.

What Now?

If you have concerns that your baby may have Torticollis, then an evaluation by a pediatric physical therapist will be your next step to determine your baby’s needs. If you have questions on what to expect during a Torticollis evaluation you may check out this blog [link to other blog]. Torticollis is commonly treated by a pediatric physical therapist and when caught early, (2-4 months of age) it may be able to be treated in a short time period.

-Kelly Raines, PT, DPT

Crystal Scheibe

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My 9 year old just completed about 9 months of weekly speech sessions (due to his stuttering) with Matt Hagge at LLA and we are thrilled with the experience and results. What I thought might be a negative (what kid really wants to go to speech class?) was made very positive by Matt, and my son never hesitated or complained when we talked about class. He really enjoyed it and really took what Matt taught him to heart. His speech has been greatly improved and we definitely recommend LLA. Thank you so much!

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I cannot say enough good things about LLA Therapy. My daughter was a client of Teal Simmons’ for approximately 2 years and was just released from speech therapy! She was diagnosed with Apraxia in 2015 and worked with Teal twice a week. Through Teal’s application of PROMPT therapy, my daughter had age-appropriate speech after one year. All of the staff we interacted with at LLA were absolutely wonderful. They really care about what they do and making sure your child achieves their goals.

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We are so grateful for our Speech Therapist Ms.Teal. We have seen a great improvement with our sons confidence and communication abilities since we have started "Prompt" therapy. What we love the most about LLA and Ms. Teal is that Kohl feels comfortable and relaxed which has played a critical role in his progress. Thank you Ms. Teal for all you have done.

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We had a great experience with Matt Hagge at LLA! Our Middle School age son was becoming very conscious of his voice, which is nasal due to a cleft palate. Matt helped him to better form his sounds and project his voice in a way that makes the unavoidable nasality less noticeable.Our son is more confident and outgoing & even took on a speaking role in the church play. Matt has the perfect personality to relate with our son, and we would recommend him to anyone needing speech therapy services!

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LLA Therapy has been an excellent experience for our daughter. I would highly recommend LLA. Miss Grace was so amazing and I can't believe how quickly our daughter showed improvement. Thank you!

What is Torticollis and How Do I Know if My Baby May Have It?