Torticollis

[|**Congenital Torticollis**] Congenital muscular torticollis, also called wryneck, is usually discovered in the first 6 to 8 weeks of life. The infant keeps his or her head tilted to one side and has difficulty turning the head to the opposite side. Congenital muscular torticollis can be associated with hip dysplasia so the hips should be examined in children with torticollis.

**What causes Congenital Torticollis?** Congenital Torticollis is most commonly diagnosed in first-born children. This is likely from intrauterine "packing," resulting in injury to the muscle. The "tumor" is seen with response to the injury. As this resolves, the amount of scar in the muscle determines how tight the muscle is. There is no known prevention.

**Symptoms**
 * Head tilted to one side; chin pointing to the other
 * Limited range in motion of the neck
 * One side of face and head may flatten due to pressure of the side being slept on

In Congenital Torticollis, the right side of the face is involved 75% of the time.

**Treatment** Usual treatment for Congenital Torticollis consits of streching exercises to turn the head so that the chin touches each shoulder. Position toys may be used so that the infant has to turn head in order to see them. In 10% of children, surgery may be needed to correct the torticollis. This surgery aids in lengenthing the short muscles.



Figure 1: Child with right-sided torticollis



Figure 2: The muscle Stenocleidomastoideus is a big and strong muscle with great influence of the heads position