Has Anyone Had an Experience with "Torticollis"?

My daughter had a very noticible tilt also from the time she was born. I told her pediatrician my concern at her 2 month check up and he referred me to a neurologist. He told us it was a very mild form of Torticollis and showed me some stretches to do with her and now she is fine at 8 months old. If the child really has torticollis it would hurt them if you try to move there neck in the opposite direction. There is ressitance in the neck muscle. I would tell them to take the baby to pediatric neurologist just to be sure. If you need a reccomendation I have the name of the one I took my daughter to. He has offices in Brandon and one off of Armenia ave.

Hi, my son had torticollis.. I noticed it right away bacause his head was always tilted. He was a 9 pounder so I believe it was how he was positioned in the womb. Anyway, I took him to see an othorpedic doctor and they took xrays to confirm that he had it and that it did not effect his bones or nerves. I then had to take him to physical theraphy.. where they taught me strecthing exercises and his head appears better, but sometimes it still tilts. they say tummy time is also good and move their head side to side. You should try physial thearpy, because they can determine if he needs extra help with his developing... my son is 8 months old .. hope this helps

K.-
My mother has torticollis and so did my cousin. My mother's came about when she was in her 30s and she still has it. However, my cousin had it as a baby and by the age of 2 with treatment he was cured. If you are interested in any additional information I would be very glad to give it to you as well as names and numbers to doctors. I don't know excatly how much information you have on this, but my mother managed to get the proper medical care for my cousin and he is cured. Keep in mind that a baby can be cured it is when there is an onset late in life that it is more difficult.
Please feel free to call me at ###-###-####.
Good Luck and I hope I can help you
R.

Although my son did not have torticollis he had other developmental delays related to muscle tone. If your niece lives within the state of florida there is a early intervention program called Early Steps that can evaluate her and offer physical therapy. My son has received physical as well as speech therapy in our own home for free(the therapists are some of the best in Jax)since he was 7 months and is now 2 and only has speech. The phone number for Jax and surrounding counties is ###-###-#### and online is www.cms-kids.com/Earlystepshome.htm Hope this helps.

Hi K., I would suggest your sister get a second opinion if she is concerned (an mothers instinct is usually the best indicator of a problem) My son had torticolis when he was little. We had heard of it but just thought he liked to sleep with his head to one side all the time (it was our daughters therapsit who caught it and told me to mention it to out GP)We started PT at apx 6 weeks old and continued until he was apx 9 months old. And you are right it can delay development (as it did with our guy) it can also cause more severe problems like feeding problems. But if you neice is 10 months old and has not been sick alot (repiratory) she probably does not have feeding problems. Torticolis is very easy to fix with a little therapy and there are even excersises she can do at home with the help of the therapist. I hope this helps.

I have a 15 week old son with Torticollis. My best friend is a pediatric OT and was the first to really take notice of it as a problem. I took him to his 2 month check up the day after she metioned it to me. The Dr. noticed it also. He tilts his head to the right. The Dr. recommended turning his head side to side and holding for a few seconds. Your baby may cry because of the tight muscles. I am sure it hurts but I know it is necessary. Because his head is always turned to the right when he sleeps, he has a bald patch there and also his head is flatter. My Dr. said that as the skull hardens the head will start to shape itself but if I do not work with my son daily it will remain misshapen. It may never be perfectly round but with streching it will have a better chance to round out. My friend the OT actually took the strectching one step farther. She has shown me stretches that need to be done several times a day. The include pulling the right shoulder down and pushing the neck away from it, pulling the neck away from the body, laying him on his side so that his head is looking straight then holding the head still twisting the body so he rolls onto his back. These really hurt in the beginning but it has loosened him up some. he can now turn his head to the left with no problem but he still sleeps with his head to the right. One stretch I can do that he doesn't notice is to hold your baby on his side facing away from you. Put his neck in the cradle of your elbow with his arm against your body. You can use your upper arm to strech the neck. This is what works best for me. As far as slow development I have to wait and see. He is rolling over one way and sits with support just fine. So far I have noticed tummy time is very difficult for him. He flails his arms to the side instead of using them for support of his upper body. He also looks straight down instead of laying his head to the side. I again consulted my friend. She suggested hanging his upper body over a boppy pillow or rolling up a blanket to put under his armpits when he is on the floor. This will help to strengthen the neck more and keep his arms forward. Maybe some of these ideas will work for you. The key is do them regularly, several times a day. I was told that if the stretches are not done it can cause development delays, vision problems, and permament flat head.

Hi. I have a 6 month old with torticollis and he's been in physical therapy since he was 3 months old. He used to always sleep and turn his head facing the right, but now that his muscles have been stretched, he can turn his head normally. If your niece does have torticollis and does not get treated,I think the worse outcome would be wearing a helmet, disproportioned head shape. If she does get treated, maybe her development will come along faster and not delayed.

Yup!! Please tell your sister to go to pediatric orthopedist and ask for a sonnogram of the neck. My daughter didn't get diagnosed until 1 year and it affected her hips, her sucking, her body alignment! I went to several doctors and an orthopedist who told me it was a preference. Oddly, the lactation consultant spotted it right away.