How did my baby develop Torticollis?
Torticollis is a very common diagnosis and how a baby develops Torticollis can vary! Most babies develop a type of Torticollis known as Congenital Torticollis from being confined in the womb. They wiggle themselves into a position and as a result of uterine restriction, these babies stay in these prolonged positions until delivery. Prolonged positioning in utero may also result in facial abnormalities, ear shifts, indents and flattening on their head.
As you can imagine, twins share the space in their mommy’s bellies so twins are at a higher risk for developing Torticollis.
Premature babies are also at a higher risk for developing Torticollis due to their soft heads and prolonged time in one position in the NICU. This is called Positional or Acquired Torticollis.
There are also many different orthopedic, genetic and neurological conditions that may result in Torticollis. Some of these include: Hypotonia, Brachial Plexus injuries, Stroke, Hemiplegia, Facial Paralysis, Fractures, Klippel Feil Syndrome, and Hydrocephalus. Babies with Hydrocephalus will tend to tilt towards the shunt and rotate away from the shunt. Babies with Brachial Plexus Injuries, Stroke, and Hemiplegia also tend to rotate their head away from the affected area. It resembles a neglect of the affected side.
Weakness of one eye compared to the other can also result in Torticollis known as Oculotorticollis. When one eye is stronger than the other for whatever reason, most commonly a Strabismus or a Nystagmus, then the child puts their head at a tilt to prevent double vision or blurring. Our babies are very smart and they make the adjustments they need to help themselves. It’s up to us to figure out what is causing their head tilt. A Nystagmus is when an eye(s) quickly and rhythmically jerks back and forth. A Strabismus is a visual impairment where the eyes are not aligned when looking at an object, like being cross eyed or if you’ve heard of someone having a “lazy eye.”
Other babies develop Torticollis because of Gastroesophageal reflux. Most babies with reflux will arch their backs but sometimes, in order to get away from the pain, babies will choose a side to tilt to instead. Please see my blog on Reflux to learn more details about this.
These are just some of the more common reasons why a baby may develop Torticollis. It is important to seek advice from a specialist as soon as you notice a rotation preference or head tilt because as you can see, there can be many causes for Torticollis and it is important to know the cause in order to know how to treat it properly.
