Muscle Tension and Head Shape in Infants
Have you ever woken up in the morning and had trouble turning your head because you slept funny? That tight, tense feeling in your muscles stops you from looking in a certain direction, and until you allow gentle movement or maybe even light massage, that feeling doesn’t go away.
This same idea can happen to babies, except for them, their neck is stiff from being curled up in Mom’s womb. This “diagnosis” can be heard in a few terms - Congenital Muscular Torticollis, or CMT, or torticollis, which then leads to hearing terms such as head flattening and Plagiocephaly.
If you’ve been told your munchkin has torticollis, you’ve probably also heard things like “stiff” or “side preference.” According to kidshealth.org, “Torticollis is a stiff neck that makes it hard or painful to turn your head. In older kids and adults, it can happen after sleeping in a funny position. Babies can be born with a stiff neck, but the condition is a little different and not painful.”
Does your baby prefer to look to one side?
When a baby has a preference for looking over one shoulder and/or has a persistent head tilt, it is usually due to a diagnosis called Congenital Muscular Torticollis (CMT). Now before you go Googling all things torticollis, please know that this is something that can be resolved with early intervention. Please do not panic!
The most common signs of CMT include difficulty nursing on one side, persistent preference for looking to one side, persistent positioning with head tilting to one side, flattening on the back of the head on one side, and preferring to roll over one shoulder. Again, all these things can be resolved by getting intervention from a pediatric physical therapist!
Let’s continue with what CMT means, how to screen your baby for it, and things you can do at home to help your munchkin.
The potential unwanted results of your baby looking towards one side more frequently are listed above. Notice I stated "may cause..." This is because no two babies are the same! Congenital muscular Torticollis has trademark presentations, however not all babies will develop these unwanted consequences.
May cause trouble with breast and/or bottle feeding
May cause skull to flatten on one side
May cause uneven use and development of strength in the arms and legs
May cause uneven strength to develop in the neck and core
May cause milestones to be delayed and/or asymmetrical
Do you suspect your munchkin may have CMT? The first thing you’ll want to do is to contact a local pediatric physical therapist for an assessment. In the meantime, (while waiting on insurance, or waiting for your appointment) you can try the exercises below!
Encourage your baby to look over his non-preferred side by looking in the mirror cheek to cheek or chest to cheek
Practice active rotation to non-preferred side - as in the image below, place a fun toy to the non-preferred side while keeping the opposite hip and/or shoulder down to avoid compensation.
Place baby in the crib so that she is encouraged to look to her non-preferred side, as in the image below.
*Please remember - This information is not meant to diagnose or provide treatment. It is for education purposes only. Please see a pediatric physical therapist or pediatrician if you think your child will need treatment for torticollis.
