Torticollis treatment for 7 month old

[Wildbunch]

I'm wondering if anyone knows what the treatment is like for torticollis, particularly for an active 7 month old!

My son has been having cranial osteopathy since birth due to lumps bumps etc and I think that has really helped (fab treatment) but the torticollis is back now that he is sitting more & more and the gp has referred him to a paediatric physio.

I'm in the uk so it'll be nhs and I've heard you get 6 sessions, although that may be wrong. Any ideas if that will be enough or if I should go private? I'd also be interested to hear if anyone used a neck brace for treatment and whether its a good/bad thing. I'm worried ill struggle with any exercises as he's super active and with a mind of his own.

Any tips on what to ask them to check with regards to underlying causes would be great- or just any tips fullstop.

It would be great to hear positive stories to keep my morale up too.

Thanks

[Pobblewhohasnotoes]

I would see the NHS physio. They'll assess him and treat it for as long as they need to.

[ibbydibby]

Our experience of torticollis was 17 yrs ago (DS1 was 17 on Wed..) so may be a bit out of date now.....HV noticed headlag persisted when it shouldn't have, referred to physio, physio diagnosed torticollis at around 3 or 4 months.

Treatment was to hold DS head in least preferred position in attempt to stretch the shorter muscle. Think was painful afterwards the first time (was v unsettled that evening) and we were able to carry on with exercise. not sure how long it took to resolve as physio came to us about once a month, after few months she noticed generalised lack of muscle tone, meaning he was referred for custom-made shoes before he was walking.

No sign of torticollis now - but still wearing insoles in footwear!

[Wildbunch]

Thanks ibbydibby, it reassuring to hear of an adult who is now mostly unaffected. I hadn't noticed any muscle tone problems but I guess the physio will assess for that. Pobblewhohasnotoes- I'll def follow the physios assessment & advice. Fingers crossed they won't be restricted to a set number of sessions. Suppose I'm a bit nervous as it seemingly went before and has now re-emerged. Perhaps I'll ask for follow-up if needed.

[differentnameforthis]

Treatment was to hold DS head in least preferred position in attempt to stretch the shorter muscle.

This is what I had to do for dd. I sat on the floor & had to hold her against me with her head turned to the least favoured side. She was 4mths old. It was hell hearing her cry for the first few time (twice a day & also repositioning at night & making sure she stopped favouring that side during the day).

At 5, you wouldn't have a clue she had problems.

[ibbydibby]

Gosh different it is v reassuring that you had to do the same for your DD as I typed out my reply and wondered what you would all think of the treatment. Wildbunch we were clueless re muscle tone, in DS1's case not something that stood out at all. Might had realised I suppose if he was our second born. DS2 was much sturdier in comparison.

[Wildbunch]

Wow I'll have to brace myself for this treatment then as it sounds a bit heartbreaking. Although its v reassuring to hear of good outcomes & I'll hold onto that. Just got to wait for an appointment now.

[Wildbunch]

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to call mid week to find out if they received the referral & to find out about waiting times. If its looking like a lengthy wait I may go the private route (depending on costs). I know it was some time ago, but how did you go about finding a good private physio?

[differentnameforthis]

We wouldn't have seen dd's issues at all if a child youth health worker hadn't picked up on her positional plagiocephaly. She had a very flat head & we were referred to a physio who picked it up right away!!

She also had an issue with a muscle in her leg that made her foot turn in, so we had to to deal with that, but that was a little while after the torticollis. I don't know if they were connected. We had to make sure she knelt down with her feet under her bum perfectly straight & that fixed it. I do think both her cases were mild, because they were fairly straight forward to fix.

I hope you get good results, op!

[differentnameforthis]

ibbydibby I had never heard of it before, so it was quite a shock! I used to sit in front of her bedroom mirror so we could see each other (I was told it would be reassuring for her) but the first few times I had to look away as her face looked like she was in so much discomfort. I sobbed the first few times too & didn't want her to see that! It worked, and she won't remember any of it, which is the most important thing for me.

[ibbydibby]

different I never really think about it now (DS1 now 17), but it was heartbreaking at the time.

[Wildbunch]

I heard that my nhs appt will come in the new year. I'll try and remember to update this thread with what the treatment is these days, just in case anyone else wants to know in future.

[differentnameforthis]

I never really think about it now (DS1 now 17), but it was heartbreaking at the time.

Same.

Good luck op!

[VictoriaDS]

Hi. I know this is an old thread but I'm just starting to have to do these exercises on my 10 week old son. I am just doing the stretches - one turns his head and the other tilts it. With both he fights and wriggles and resists and most of all screeches and cries as though he's in pain. It makes me feel sick to do them. Physio (nhs) said to do it every time I change his nappy but that seems a lot. How many times a day should I do it and should he really be screaming like that? Really breaks my heart :-( Will he start to associate me with horrible painful times?