Pretty girl recently got a Doc Band right before Christmas & she has been going to physical therapy since she was 2 1/2 months. When she was almost 2 months we began to notice that she would not lift her head when facing right, and when she did she would move her head to the left and keep it there – Making tummy time very difficult. We also began to notice she had a slight bump on the front right of her forehead, as well as some flatness on her right side behind her ear. We addressed our concerns at her 2 month appointment – we were told she has right side Torticollis (tight neck muscle) and early signs of Plagiocephaly (flat head) our Doctor recommended we see a Physical Therapist for an evaluation.
Pretty girl recently got a Doc Band right before Christmas & she has been going to physical therapy since she was 2 1/2 months. When she was almost 2 months we began to notice that she would not lift her head when facing right, and when she did she would move her head to the left and keep it there – Making tummy time very difficult. We also began to notice she had a slight bump on the front right of her forehead, as well as some flatness on her right side behind her ear. We addressed our concerns at her 2 month appointment – we were told she has right side Torticollis (tight neck muscle) and early signs of Plagiocephaly (flat head) our Doctor recommended we see a Physical Therapist for an evaluation.
- What is Torticollis? Neck Muscle tightness. Doctors believe it could be related to the cramping of a fetus inside the uterus, abnormal positioning &/or the use of forceps/vacuum devices during delivery. Although it could of honestly been all 3.. who knows? in her case we believe it was more positional, as she was also born with a flat ear on the same side she has the Torticollis. (we saw a pediatric plastic surgeon within 5 days of her birth & had her ear molded… also SO happy we did. Once babies are 3+ months their cartilage hardens – therefore she would of had to do actual plastic surgery in the future).
- What is Plagiocephaly? A condition that causes a baby’s head to have a flat spot or be misshapen. Babies with Torticollis can also develop a flat spot on their skull because they often sleep with their head turned to one side.
At her evaluation she was confirmed for right side Torticollis along with a Left Tilt. The degree of movement compared to her favored side was at a 30 degree difference. We began Physical Therapy the following week & I am so happy we did. We love her Physical Therapist!
Her most recent evaluation was AMAZING as she is already at full range with her stretches on both side to side stretches & ear to shoulder! We agreed with the Therapist that we would continue going until she learns how to stand, as babies can regress with Torticollis as they reach certain milestones. We currently go twice a week – work on stretches & reaching her milestones!