Torticollis

As a new parent, physical therapy is probably not on your list of things to be worrying about for your child, especially for a newborn. However, there are some conditions, even in babies, that require the help of a pediatric physical therapist.  Torticollis is one such condition.

Infant Torticollis is when the neck muscles are tighter on one side than the other, which leaves your baby’s head at a tilt. Parents may notice their baby’s head starting to tit to one side, or that they prefer to look in one direction. Breastfed babies may even have a preferred side to feed. 

This is a fairly common condition, affecting 3 in every 100 babies. Most often torticollis is something the baby is born with and has to do with the baby’s position in utero.  In cases where the child develops torticollis after birth, it is normally due to some kind of trauma or infection. Luckily, this is easily treatable with special exercises and physical therapy.

A specially trained physical therapist will examine your baby and determine the best course of treatment based on their symptoms and needs. Therapy will mostly consist of:

• Gentle stretching of the neck and back muscles
• Massage of the affected area
• Strengthening of the neck and back muscles 
• A home-exercise program to continue treatment at home

Your therapist will closely monitor your child’s progress, they will make sure their range-of-motion is improving and make any recommendations as needed. 

At Reddy Care Physical and Occupational therapy, we treat a wide range of patients and a variety of different conditions, including torticollis. We have specially trained physical therapists that can help you with your pediatric physical therapy needs. To find out more about the different conditions we treat, give us a call today!

Reddy Care Great Neck (Great Neck Physical Therapy): 516-829-0030
Reddy Care Farmingdale (Farmingdale Physical Therapy): 516-420-2900
North Shore Towers: 718-224-8480
Woodbury Physical Therapy: 516-367-1111
In-Home Physical & Occupational Therapy (Home Care): 516-829-0030
*Home therapy servicing Long Island, Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn, the Bronx & Manhattan

Author

Reddy Care Physical & Occupational Therapy Reddy Care Physical & Occupational Therapy is an outstanding specialty service providing exceptional care and state-of-the-art treatments for the residents of Farmingdale and Great Neck, New York. The combination of innovative exercise programs, manual therapy, and technology together with the expertise of every member of the team enables Reddy Care Physical & Occupational Therapy to provide services that ensure superior clinical outcomes and consistently high patient satisfaction.