Chiropractic Care for Torticollis
Torticollis is a fairly common condition that babies, toddlers, even adults can get. This condition is characterized by tightening of the musculature of the neck to cause the head to rotate one direction and tilt slightly to the opposite direction. All children that present with this condition do not all present identical. In some children the head is very restricted in rotation and will only look one direction. In other children the head prefers one rotation but can more easily be rotated the other way. These variations have to do with the degree of spinal misalignment, cranial misalignment and muscular and fascial tension.
Standard medical treatment usually consists of simply stretching the muscles and forcing the head the opposite direction. While this can help to loosen some of the muscles in the neck, it is not an optimal treatment and can lead to a lot of distress for you and your child. Torticollis is not just tight muscles on one side of the neck. There are always spinal misalignments in the upper cervical spine along with altered cranial bone movement and fascial tightness. These things cannot be stretched away. A chiropractor needs to perform an adjustment to mobilize the upper cervical spine and do cranial adjusting and myofascial release to loosen the connective tissue and muscles while establishing proper cranial movement and position. Bodywork and fascial release is an important part of therapy that is not the same as stretching. The connective tissue in the body is not released by stretching. It is released by a light touch that helps to unwind the connective tissue to loosen it. Adults need the same care as well, if they develop torticollis. Stretching may help it feel better or a little looser for a little while, but the root of the problem is not being addressed.
Some children have this issue resolved in one or two visits to the chiropractor, some need more regular treatment to resolve all of the underlying issues. Oftentimes there are complicating issues such as a tongue and lip tie or plagiocephaly that will require a longer duration of care. Torticollis can lead to altered head shape or plagiocephaly, difficulty nursing, digestive issues, reflux, irritability, colic, etc. It is important to correct torticollis as soon as you realize that your baby is looking toward one side more often. The longer it goes on, the longer it may take to correct all of the additional issues that arise.
Torticollis is a serious condition that needs to be addressed. However, it is a condition that can easily be corrected if you visit a good pediatric chiropractor. Certified pediatric chiropractors look at the whole picture and address all the issues associated with the torticollis; the spinal misalignments, cranial misalignments, and muscular and fascial restrictions.