3 week old infant will turn her head one way but not the other...

[Jenny_A]

My 3 week old daughter will only turn her head to the left. She can turn it to the right but definitely prefers the left and it's very difficult to get her to turn it the other way. I've taken her to the chiropractor who actually picked up on the problem before I did. The chiro thinks she was pretty smushed in the womb and her neck muscles were constricted on the right side. She gave me some exercises and massage techniques to try. She also encouraged lots of tummy time to strengthen the neck muscles in general. I'm worried though...

anyone else have a DC who had a similar problem who could give some support or advice?

Thanks!

[brittone2]

It is very common, and it sounds potentially consistent w/ torticollis although I obviously can't diagnose it online ;) My suggestion is to call early intervention and ask for an evaluation. It is free, and they'll do all therapy (it would be physical therapy) in your home. It usually is treatable within a few months time period depending on severity.

It is very easily missed by parents and even many pediatricans in my experience. Kids are soooo good at compensating and it is just really hard for a person who isn't trained in looking at joint range of motion in isolation.

The reason I suggest EI vs. chiropractic alone is that it would be good to also have her checked to rule out any brachial plexus injury, vision issues, or some other things that could also go along w/ torticollis. It usually resolves pretty well with stretching/strengthening, and the earlier you catch it, the better. 3 weeks is very early :)

Not treating it can mean the potential for asymmetry in the face or head to develop, and some kids get a lot of flatting (plagiocephaly) on one side of the head as a result. Depending on how tight the neck muscles are it can also be difficult to clean the skin in the neck area. Not treating it can also lead to developmental delays as it is harder to do things like roll or sit when you don't have full range of motion in your head.

I'd pursue EI. Generally the number is listed under your county's office of mental health/mental retardation (scary sounding but this is just related to how EI is funded).

If it is torticollis, it is very very treatable and will probably resolve very well in time, but generally DC will need some stretching, strengthening, and positioning to assist with that. The therapist will give you specific activities that you can do with DC in your home during the week. Treating it early makes a big difference.

HTH.

[goodnightmoon]

My dd had similar symptoms and was diagnosed with torticollis by her Pediatrician. She was sent for PT over a couple of months. The therapist just supervised the stretching exercises and checked to make sure it was resolving. My dd is fine now.

I think it's fairly common. I know several moms whose dc had it too. You may want to see the Ped about it to confirm it's not more serious, though.

Laura
mommy to Eva Marie 2/16/05

[urquie]

my dd had the same thing. we noticed it early as did her ped. her main concern was that dd could develop a flat spot on one side of her head and that it would probably be noticeable. she suggested stretching it a few times a day to help loosen the muscles. if that failed we would be sent to p.t. dd did not think the stretching thing was very cool - hated it actually. i did find one thing that worked for us. she was never a "tummy time" baby, but if i waited until she fell asleep after nursing i would put her on my chest with her head facing the opposite direction. also we would hold her or position her so she had to look the "other way" a bit to see what ever was interesting her. we were not fanatical about this and never did it in a way that would frustrate her. just encouraged the stretching on her own. that was all we did and dd out grew it very well and has never had any problems.

[Judegirl]

Rory had this and it was pretty extreme. We went to a craniosacral therapist twice and it worked wonders. We were skeptics and were amazed. I wish we had gone earlier. We thought it was the same deal - a 9-lb baby in the womb of a woman whose belly button is six inches below her breasts! :)

Jude

[Melanie]

She could have a misalignment in her neck. It's pretty common as they have to twist and turn so much to come down the birth canal. A pediatric-trained chiropractor can help.

[Jenny_A]

Thanks for all the suggestions and advice! I feel better that other people have experienced this. I did notice this morning that her head seems flatter on the side she prefers. Will this flattening go away as she gets older (and as we resolve this neck issue)? Flat heads are pretty common, right?

[brittone2]

Flat heads are common because of all of the back sleeping and other devices we use in modern times (swings, carseat carriers, etc.). It is common but it is also something that shouldn't be ignored.

If you treat the torticollis (in cases where it is known that this is tort), the head will usually round out if caught early enough. However, if it goes on too long it can be necessary to use more aggressive means like a helmet, which is used to reshape the skull. The flattening can lead to asymmetrical ears for example if not treated.

Most of the time it resolves along with the tort (again, in diagnosed torticollis cases) because their heads grow sooo fast in the first year of life. Catching it this early gives you a wonderful chance to treat the tight neck muscles (also important to strengthen them as well as the tightness is often accompanied by weak neck muscles on the opposite side as a result of overstretching on that side) and get the flatness to round out nicely.

If you are noticing flatness I'd definitely work with someone that can help you with positioning suggestions. You may also want to consider using a sling so that her head gets some pressure relief during the day since at night she's likely to revert to her preferred side.


There are yahoo groups for parents with kids that have torticollis and/or positional plagiocephaly (flattening).

Again, tort can't be diagnosed online, but I'd call early intervention and let them do an eval (which will be relatively short and sweet since your DD is so young). You want someone who will give you stretching, strengthening (can be accomplished by carrying DD in certain positions that will work her neck muscles) and positioning suggestions. Seeing someone once or twice a week won't do it. If it happens to be torticollis, frequent stretching on a daily basis makes a difference. Doing a few things after each diaper change is a good way to make sure you fit it all in.

If you go with EI, the PT will teach you to do the activities, and will make sure that you are doing them correctly during the week with your DC since it is intimidating for many parents to stretch their child's neck (understandably).

ETA:
http://torticolliskids.org/
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Torticolliskids/
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Plagiocephaly/

I've never been to either of the Yahoo groups so I am not sure how good they are, but they are worth a look.

[spu]

One of my twins had the same thing - they diagnosed it as Torticolis. Before she was diagnosed, she would only roll 1 direction, and have a pretty noticable tilt to her head when sitting up. I think it may have delayed her walking abilities, even though she wasn't truly a late walker, because the neck muscles relate to the spine and hip muscles, and when something is off, it throws everything else off.

It does sound like your daughter may have the same thing. The sooner you can work with her, the better.

Rather than do exercises at home by myself, we went through the Early Intervention program in our state. I think every state has a similar program - they do a complete evaluation in your home, and if needed, they'll send a physical therapist who specializes in that area for children ages 0-3 years old to work with the issue - through play! which is the biggest (and safest) difference versus going to a regular adult p.t. (if they'll even see her at this age...) BUt the sooner the better since it will be easier to work with her since she's growing so fast right now.

Good luck!


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charlotte + else ... 3.5 years

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[spu]

--- ooops -- looks like it posted twice... sorry!


One of my twins had the same thing - they diagnosed it as Torticolis. Before she was diagnosed, she would only roll 1 direction, and have a pretty noticable tilt to her head when sitting up. I think it may have delayed her walking abilities, even though she wasn't truly a late walker, because the neck muscles relate to the spine and hip muscles, and when something is off, it throws everything else off.

It does sound like your daughter may have the same thing. The sooner you can work with her, the better.

Rather than do exercises at home by myself, we went through the Early Intervention program in our state. I think every state has a similar program - they do a complete evaluation in your home, and if needed, they'll send a physical therapist who specializes in that area for children ages 0-3 years old to work with the issue - through play! which is the biggest (and safest) difference versus going to a regular adult p.t. (if they'll even see her at this age...) BUt the sooner the better since it will be easier to work with her since she's growing so fast right now.

It's important to find out if she has a sideways tilt, or also a diagonal tilt. Charlotte had both. They did lots of things that involved her turning her head to stretch the tight side without strengthening it or it would make matters worse. ie... watching things zig zag down ramps (causing her head to zig zag too), playful things up and off to the side to get her to stretch up... they're amazing! Hopefully you have a program in your area that will provide support too.

Good luck!


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charlotte + else ... 3.5 years

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