Have you noticed your baby’s head tilting or twisting to one side? This is a telltale sign of a condition called torticollis. Today, we’re going to cover what torticollis is, what causes this condition, and how pediatric physical therapy from our team in Winder, GA, can help. Plus, find out what you can do to prevent torticollis in your baby.

What Is Torticollis?

Torticollis, also known as “wryneck,” is when the muscles on one side of your baby’s neck contract (get shorter or tighter) more than the other side. This can cause your baby’s head to tilt or twist to the side. This condition isn’t generally painful, but it can limit your baby’s movement and development. 

There are two different types of torticollis: 

  1. Congenital torticollis – this type is the most common and is present from the moment your baby is born (congenital means “present from birth”). However, you may not notice it until your baby is a few weeks old and starts building more control of their head and neck muscles. 
  2. Acquired torticollis – this type is acquired, meaning your baby didn’t have it when they were born, it developed afterward. This would usually happen in the first 4-6 months after birth, but it can also develop later on.

What Causes Torticollis?

There are many different things that can cause torticollis in infants. For this blog post, we’re only going to cover the cause that we see most often at our clinic, which is how your baby is positioned. 

Positional Cause of Congenital Torticollis

For congenital torticollis, this often happens because of the way your baby is positioned in the womb. If they are too scrunched up for too long, it can impact the growth of their neck muscles and cause their head to tilt to the side after they’re born. 

Positional Causes of Acquired Torticollis

For acquired torticollis, this often happens because of the way your baby is positioned in their crib or in carriers. For example, if their head is always turned to the same side when they lie down in their crib, this can cause the neck muscles to contract and lead to torticollis.

The same thing can happen if you often use carriers (like car seats) to hold your baby for long periods of time. This is because carriers keep your baby in a scrunched-up position which can affect the development of their neck muscles when used for too long. 

How Pediatric Physical Therapy Addresses Torticollis

Pediatric physical therapists are experts in how the different muscles, bones, and joints in the body move and work together. We will work with you and your baby to help stretch and strengthen their neck muscles in a way that’s safe and even fun for your baby! 

We can do gentle stretches to help your baby’s affected neck muscles loosen and lengthen. Then we can also work on building up strength in the muscles on the opposite side of their neck to improve their balance and support for their head. We do this with simple exercises done in a playful way to encourage your baby to participate. 

Tips to Prevent Torticollis in Infants

There are some types of torticollis that are caused by medical conditions or other factors that may not be easily preventable. For example, you can’t really prevent congenital torticollis because it happens in the womb. 

But for acquired torticollis that occurs due to your baby’s positioning, here are a few things you can do to prevent it: 

  • Change positions – move your baby around and encourage them to look at things on different sides of their body. This includes changing which side of your body you hold them on for feedings, etc. 
  • Limit time in carriers – try not to keep your baby in a car seat, baby swing, rocker, etc. for too long each day. We’d recommend about an hour maximum at one time.
  • Give them tummy time – tummy time is super important for your baby’s development. We recommend starting with 3-5 minutes at a time, 2-3 times per day for infants up to 2 months old. As they get older and stronger, you can slowly increase tummy time until they get strong enough to start crawling. 

Reach Out to Let’s Communicate

If you’ve noticed that your baby’s head is tilting or twisting to one side, or if you’re simply worried about their physical development, Let’s Communicate can help. Reach out to us at (678) 963-0694 to schedule an evaluation with our team today.