Torticollis

Question: Torticollis? Anyone have a baby that had/has torticollis? What do you know about it?

Answer: Hi sorry no but i replied so i could give you this great web page with lots of info and help for parents with kids who have it. http://www.torticolliskids.org/

Question: How long does torticollis the fancy word for stiff neck last ? How long does it take for torticollis / stiff neck to go away ? They only gave me a 2 day prescription of Vicodin. ( it's not like my insurance wouldn't pay for that cheap stuff ) I think they should have given me more than 9 pills. Now I have to call in for a refill.

Answer: usually it disappears gradually over a period of two to three days. Massage and hot wet towels held to the neck helps also take ibupropin instead of vicodin, it is also an anti inflamatory which will speed things up.

Question: My sister has been having Spasmodic Torticollis for more than 7 years. Is this disease curable? My sister was diagnosed with Spasmodic Torticollis right after she got married. (almost 8 years ago) She have been treated with botulinum toxin injections, acupuncture, hypnotherapy for many years. She needs to lie down most of the day. It seems painful. Because she has been on strong medication, she can't even try to have a baby. I started wondering if this disease is treatable. Dose anyone know someone who has recovered from Spasmodic Torticollis ? Thanks.

Answer: yes very curable

Question: Does anyone have any real world experience with torticollis? My 9 week old daughter was just diagnosed with torticollis. I've researched a little bit online, but was wondering if anyone can give me real world experience about what they went through. She has her first appointment to see a physical therapist in a couple days.

Answer: My son had torticollis. I noticed a lump in his neck when I was caressing him while he nursed when he was 6 weeks old. I took him to the doctor who diagnosed it as probable muscular torticollis. We had an appointment with a physical therapist a few days later who showed us how to do the appropriate daily stretching/massaging exercises with him. It was pretty easy. I remember being soooo stressed out. I was concerned because of all of the horrific worst-case-scenario stuff I came across on the internet. It ended up resolving with the help of the exercises after several months. It took a little longer for the lump to disappear but he has full range of motion now (he's 13 months) and has since about a month after we started the exercises (which he hated, by the way! :o) He didn't always want to cooperate so we would have to take a break and try again later). We only had to do the exercises for a few months in our case.... but I kept an eye on his range of motion just to make sure. It's perfect. One thing I would recommend would be to make sure you rotate your daughters head while she's laying down or in a swing, etc. as they have a tendency to develop flat spots or positional plagiocephaly much more easily. The right side of my son's head got pretty flat because of the torticollis... he always wanted to turn his head to the one side. Be sure to give lots of tummy time (our son hated tummy time!) or sling time. Sling time is just as good, if not better, for neck strength.... and also keeps them off the back of their head for longer periods during the day. I used a sling (actually a Moby wrap) a lot. There are cushions that you can buy that cradle/mold to the head and also prevent flat spots when you do have to lay her down. I saw one at onestepahead.com.......... http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/prod… Oh! And my son's flat spot has pretty much resolved/rounded-out on it's own. We didn't do the helmet or the bands, etc. I just made sure to reposition him often, keep him upright, or in a sling, or on his tummy often and it looks fine now. It's great that you caught the torticollis this early. She will undoubtedly be fine. Best wishes!

Question: Have you had a baby with Congenital Torticollis? We took our 4 month old to the doctor today for his 4 mth appt. The doctor diagnosed him with Congenital Torticollis and he will start physical therapy next week. Has anyone had experience with this and if so, how was recovery and what can I do to help him. Tell me about your experience with this and is it common? Thanks!

Answer: Yes, my son had a slight case. I had to do physical therapy at home since it was so mild. We did neck exercises a couple times at home for about one month. If it's slight then it should go away with no problems. My son was 2 months at the time & now he's 8 months & totally fine! Don't worry as I was told that this is common. All you have to do is stretch out the neck muscles on one side - that's what the physical therapy is for. Your baby might get fussy as the physical therapy might make his neck muscles sore from the stretching. Good luck & hang in there. Torticollis is not a serious problem.

Question: If my daughter has torticollis and keeps her head to the right side what side is the affected muscle on? My daughter has torticollis and I am trying to do exercises with her but I don't know which side to stretch. When lying on her back she always lays with the right side of her head against the mattress. Does this mean that the right muscle is the shorter one that needs to be stretched?

Answer: OK, so she tends to turn the head to the right? In which case, the muscles that turn the head to the right are short, the muscles that turn the head to the left are weak/long. The short answer is that usually it involves a number of muscle groups. A trained professional experienced with her type of condition can evaluate and give specific information and exercises for her. Likely muscles needing stretching - left Sterno-cleido mastoid, right scalenes, right splenius capitus, right upper trapezius, right levator scapulae. The other side of each of these muscles may need strengthening. They can all have trigger points and fascial adhesions. Licensed Massage Therapists and Physical therapists may be able to help. Craniosacral therapy can also be helpful. If you want at home exercises ask them for some. If they refuse to offer suggestions during or after an appointment, go someplace else.

Question: Is BOTOX a good idea for resolving my infant's torticollis? My son is almost one and I have been pushed around from doctor to doctor since he was a month old about his left side tight neck muscle (torticollis) and now instead of surgery they want to do a BOTOX injection. Is this a good solution? Stretching and physical therapy hasn't helped in 10 months so why would they even consider BOTOX??? Thank you for your answers. They want to do the BOTOX in hopes that stretching will be more effective.

Answer: As a physical therapist, I'm sorry to hear PT didn't work. I know they are now using botox injections in stroke patients and children who have cerebral palsy and other conditions that cause them to have extremely spastic, or tight, muscles. They are seeing good results, but from what I know, the effects are only temporary.

Question: what is the best way to get rid of congenital torticollis (neck tilted to the left)? my son was born with his neck tilted to the left so i already tried physical therapy but he is still the same.the doctors have no answers of why he was born like that and i don't know what to do. he is two years old now.

Answer: I would of said try a physio, but as you have already done this, seek out a chiropractor who specialises in children and babies. Otherwise seek an opinion from a paediatrician for help

Question: Any other mothers dealing with Torticollis? My son has Torticollis, and we are currently working with a Pediatric Therapist, but I was wondering if there are any other mother's dealing with this now. I have a found a device called a "Tot Collar". Has anyone used or heard of this, and if so, what are your thoughts. As a nurse, I know that therapy combined with at home exercises is great, but I want to explore other options. Our therapist does not agree with the use of "Tot Collar". Any suggestions would be helpful-Thank you in advance.

Answer: I'm not dealing with Torticollis but I wish you luck and will keep you in my prayers that you find the answers you're looking for

Question: has anyone heard of spasmatic torticollis and do you have it? Hi, i am 37 and ive had this for years but it got worse 6 years ago. I went on the dystonia site and asked if someone had st but for some reason my post will not go through...i know other people have other parts of this focal dystonia , like the're voice, eyes, being affected but ive never talked to a person around my age with st. I would really like to talk to someone with this between the ages of 30 to 40.for people who dont know what it is. it starts off mild from like early 20's and is usually misdiagnosed as anxiety. the dystonia foudation are not sure if st actually causes anxiety and depression but i ended up with it..It is involuntary movement of the neck which causes head temors. any amount of stress makes it worse and then your brain is telling your head to turn right,left up or down telling you thats strait.they say its nerve damage to the basil ganglia. you really cant have any exitable emotions. basicly, fulfilling dreams, and living life to the fullest ,is out. rare dis.

Answer: Do you mean spasmodic torticollis?