Torticollis
I read from the forum about a mother’s concern over her baby who has torticollis or “twisted neck” and I decided to find out more about it.
What is Torticollis?
Torticollis literally means “twisted neck”. It is derived from the Latin terms torta meaning twisted and collum meaning neck. The term “torticollis” actually refers to the positioning of the head. There are many underlying conditions that can cause a head and neck position that would be considered torticollis.
The version of torticollis most commonly found in infants is Congenital Muscular Torticollis, meaning:
Congenital – present at birth
Muscular – affecting the muscles
Torticollis – literally means ‘twisted neck’There are many causes of torticollis and not all of them are muscular problems. Torticollis can also be caused, albeit rarely, by bony abnormalities in the spine, vision problems (Ocular Torticollis) or neurological imbalance (Benign Paroxysmal Torticollis). Congenital Muscular Torticollis (CMT) is, by far, the most common form in infants.
I haven’t seen a kid with torticollis before, but I think it’s something serious that if you suspect your baby might have it, just consult the doctor for more information. When I was a baby, my neck was twisted too. My mum said the nanny didn’t handle me well, so she might have hurt me. I’m not sure what happened then but I turned out to be fine. Maybe I was just having a sprain neck? But luckily, they didn’t bring me to any Chinese sin seh and get my neck fixed! If you see abnormal head and neck positioning of your baby, just bring him to the paediatrician to rule out torticollis. When to see a doctor? Have a look at these suggestions. But there are treatments for it, so just tall to the doctors first before making any decision.
