Condition Basics
What is congenital torticollis?
Congenital torticollis (wryneck) happens at or shortly after birth. It means that your baby's head is tilted. The chin points to one shoulder, while the head tilts toward the opposite shoulder. Treatment is needed to make sure your baby's face and skull grow evenly. Treatment also prevents limited motion of the head and neck.
What causes it?
Congenital torticollis occurs when the neck muscle that runs up and toward the back of your baby's neck (sternocleidomastoid muscle) is shortened. This brings your baby's head down and to one side. This is known as congenital muscular torticollis.
The cause is unknown, but it could be related to your baby's position in the uterus or during labor.
Some cases of congenital torticollis are caused by a bone problem in the neck portion of the spine (cervical spine). This is known as a congenital malformation of the cervical spine.
Torticollis may also occur later in life, but this is not congenital torticollis.
What are the symptoms?
Your baby's head is tilted to one side. The chin points to one shoulder, and the head tilts toward the other. You may notice your baby cannot move their head as well as other babies and may prefer looking to one side. You may also notice a lump in the neck muscle.
How is it diagnosed?
The caregiver usually first notices that the infant always holds their head tilted to one side.
Your doctor will examine your baby. You may be asked questions about your baby's birth. An X-ray of the cervical spine may be done to rule out bone problems.
The doctor may also check your baby's hips. Some babies with this condition also have a hip problem called hip dysplasia.
How is congenital torticollis treated?
Treatment includes seeing a physical therapist. The physical therapist will teach you how to safely stretch your baby's tight neck muscle at home. You will do these stretches several times a day.
Other treatments involve doing things that make your baby turn their chin to the correct shoulder. For example, during feeding or while they're in their crib, position them so they have to turn the correct way.
Make sure your baby spends plenty of time on their stomach. This is known as "tummy time." Make sure you watch your baby during tummy time. Also, try to avoid too much time spent in baby seats such as car seats and bouncy seats. These can make symptoms of torticollis worse.
If your baby does not improve after a few months of treatment, there may be another problem. Or surgery may be needed to help stretch or lengthen the neck muscle. Make sure to keep and go to all of your follow-up appointments with your doctor.
The lump in the neck muscle often goes away on its own.