Torticollis: What is it and what do I do?

You have a new baby.  Everything seems great.  They’re the cutest baby ever (or so you think so) and they tip their head ever so sweetly to look at you…or is it torticollis?

Torticollis is a condition of shortened muscles in the neck, generally on one side.  It is usually the sternocleidomastoid (say that five times fast )  or SCM muscle that is shortened, and it makes it more difficult for a child to bend their head to the opposite side and to turn their head towards the shortened side.

There are lots of reasons why it happens, and short of some very rare reasons due to a vision problem, skeletal, or other brain problem, it generally is very easy to fix.  This website gives you a lot of great tips and information on what it is and what to do about it.  Don’t forget to see your local physiotherapist who knows about kids, because he or she can be sure to screen out some of the more rare reasons that may require more help than a few stretches.

Good luck!

Photo courtesy  jen14221