Many times, the baby tilts his head and smiles cutely to make the parents' hearts melt. However, if the baby's head is tilted for a long time, it may be caused by torticollis, and it needs to be treated and cared for in time. Now, let's take a look at what a baby torticollis is.
What is Baby Torticollis?
Torticollis, which we often call "crooked neck", is medically called congenital muscular torticollis. Refers to the crooked neck caused by the shortening of the sternocleidomastoid muscles of the neck, resulting in the tilt of the head to the same side and the face to the opposite side, accompanied by facial asymmetry or scoliosis.
At present, the cause of the occurrence of torticollis is not clear, it may be due to the improper position of the fetus in the mother's body or damage during labor, etc., parents can observe and judge from the following aspects:
1. There are no obvious lumps on the baby's neck
The baby looks nothing unusual, but when the baby is lying on his stomach, he will find that the baby's head is always tilted to the side.
When the baby is lying flat, or playing with the baby, parents can observe whether the baby's neck movement is symmetrical through the baby's neck rotation behavior. Usually, babies with torticollis have a significantly smaller rotation angle on one side than the other.
At the same time, parents can also observe whether the baby has asymmetry in the face, head and neck, which can generally be found soon after birth.
2. There is a lump on the baby's neck
After the baby is born, parents can see if there is a lump in the baby's neck.
Once parents find that there is a lump in the baby's neck and the head is tilted to the side with the lump, it is recommended to take the child to the hospital immediately to determine the location and nature of the mass through ultrasound.
3. Baby has a pronounced head tilt and facial asymmetry
As the baby grows up, parents should also pay attention to the baby's face and head after the baby reaches the age of 6 months or after the ability to look up.
If you find that your baby's head is always tilted to one side, or there is a significant asymmetry in the face, such as a large side and a small side, or the size of the two eyes is not the same.
As long as parents find that the baby has any of the above conditions, it is recommended to take the child to the hospital immediately, improve the neck ultrasound, understand the cause of torticollis, and if necessary, also improve other tests, such as head CT and so on for a clear diagnosis.
What about my baby's torticollis?
Once the baby is diagnosed with torticollis, it is recommended that the professional doctor evaluate and judge whether early rehabilitation treatment is needed in time.
In general, the earlier the intervention, the better the effect, the shorter the course of treatment required, and the less likely it is that surgery will be required.
1. If your baby's torticollis does not have a mass
After early detection, parents can actively cooperate with doctors to carry out family interventions, and most babies' torticollis will be significantly improved within a month. If the torticollis problem is still serious, it needs to be treated professionally by a doctor.
Typically, torticollis detected at or before the baby's age of 6 months may be associated with neurological disorders, inflammation, tissue masses, or acquired asymmetries, while acute or sudden onset of torticollis is usually associated with acute illness or trauma.
If it is not caused by the baby's muscle problems, it should be referred to the relevant department for professional treatment after the diagnosis of the cause is confirmed.
If a baby over 7 months of age still has a sternocleidomastoid muscle mass, or if a baby with a torticollis still has facial asymmetry after the age of 1 year, and there is a significant difference in the amplitude of the baby's head tilting to the left and right or to the left and right sides, it is also recommended to actively refer to the relevant department for further diagnosis.
2. If your baby's torticollis is accompanied by a mass
Then it is recommended to start going to the hospital for rehabilitation treatment and carry out correct family interventions as soon as the baby is 1 month old, in general, the baby can be improved within 3 months of age, and most cases will not exceed 6 months of age at the latest.
However, if parents find out late and wait until the baby is 3 months old or later to find out the presence of torticollis, it may take half a year or more for rehabilitation.
If the baby's torticollis mass does not improve after half a year of treatment, surgical correction of torticollis may be required, which needs to be evaluated by a professional doctor.
How to care for your baby's torticollis?
If the baby is diagnosed with torticollis, after the professional diagnosis of the doctor, it is believed that parents can effectively intervene through home nursing under the premise that rehabilitation treatment can be carried out in the hospital. There are generally the following methods:
1. Encourage your baby to exercise actively in your neck
For babies with torticollis, parents can encourage their babies to practice looking up on their stomachs more, as doing so can promote muscle stretching in both sides of the neck and strengthen the neck and spine.
2. Help your baby to carry out passive stretching of the neck
When the baby is lying on the bed or holding or sitting, parents can passively stretch the muscles on the short side, that is, stretch in the opposite direction of the baby's crooked head.
3. Massage the muscles on the affected side of the baby's neck
Parents can gently massage the sternocleidomastoid muscle area on the affected side of the baby to relieve muscle tension. It is recommended to take it once a day for about ten minutes
Studies have shown that massage and stretching of your baby's neck can be combined and will work better. Therefore, the above methods can be staggered or combined by parents.