If your baby or child has torticollis, a condition where their head is twisted at an off-center angle, Danielle McDaniel, MOT, OTR/L, and her team at Little Wonders Pediatric Therapy in Charlotte, North Carolina, offer customized treatments and therapy to release the tight neck muscles causing the distortion. Call Little Wonders Pediatric Therapy today for gentle, compassionate care.

Torticollis refers to a tightening of the neck muscles that makes it difficult for the baby to look to the side. Babies develop a preference for looking to one side while avoiding the other. Due to the positioning of the baby’s head to only one side while they sleep, the first sign of torticollis is often a flattening of the skull on one side.

Torticollis limits a baby’s ability to turn their head to see, hear, and interact freely with the world and those around them. If untreated, babies with torticollis are at risk for developing postural asymmetry, delay in motor milestones, eye and hand preference, and can suffer from secondary orthopedic problems.

The common signs of torticollis include:

• Turning head to one side 
• Difficulty feeding to one side
• Works hard to turn towards you on the affected side
• Difficulty following you with head movement 
• Facial asymmetry
• Preference for one hand more than the other 
• Flat spot on the head 
• Small knot in the tight muscle of the neck

Occupational therapy helps restore your baby’s full range of motion in their neck. Starting treatment for torticollis early helps prevent skull deformity, craniofacial asymmetry, and the development of bony or postural changes that can interfere with motor development.

At Little Wonders Pediatric Therapy, the gentle and compassionate therapists begin treatment with an assessment of your baby’s range of motion and their head shape. Your therapist creates a customized treatment plan to address your child’s specific needs. Therapy may include massages and stretches to relax and release your baby’s neck muscles.

While torticollis is a serious condition, it can be easily treated with occupational therapy to restore full neck movement in order to prevent postural and bone changes, asymmetrical motor development, and possible avoidance of one side of the body. Your baby will love therapy and achieve all important milestones with ease. 

Call Little Wonders Pediatric Therapy for expert and gentle treatment for torticollis today.