Update - Torticollis PT

So River's first PT appointment for her torticollis went well. She was reluctant at first but got the hang of having someone else handle her. It was her usual nap time so that didn't help, lol.

I got to see a few techniques on how get her to relax and allow us to work with her muscles in her neck, so that's a plus   However, the therapist broke the news and there is a very good chance she will need a helmet to help reshape her noggin, something that I wasn't looking forward to hearing, but will just have to accept and embrace.

DD is already perfect to me in every way imaginable, but I don't want her to have complications later in her life, and so I guess we are on the right track. And now that I think about it, I'm actually beginning to look forward to her getting a cute little helmet.

I'm going to keep posting updates as time goes on. If you have or are going through something very similar with your LO, please feel free to PT me and let me know. I'd love to have other mamas to talk to about this.

Quoting ★ Raych ★:" So River's first PT appointment for her torticollis went well. She was reluctant at first but got the ... [snip!] ... very similar with you LO, please feel free to PT me and let me know. I'd love to have other mamas to talk to about this."

i'm right there with you mama. Ezra ended up not needing PT for his torticollis, and ever since i've been doing his exercises he has improved tremendously! he's rolling over both ways like crazy and his head isn't all wobbly anymore. he can also look to the right now when he's on his belly.

How old is your daughter and how old was she when she was first diagnosed with torticollis? My youngest DD was diagnosed with it at 4 months old. She started PT but it wasn't a pediactric therapist who dealt with her so she went there twice and then at 6 months she started going to a pediactric PT. She was going every week for a while, then it moved up to every two weeks and then every month. She graduated from PT back in november of 2011, she was a month shy of being one. Her torticollis wasn't that bad, she didn't need a helmet. We thought she was going to have to be put to sleep for an MRI but luckily her neck straightened out with the help of PT. I wish you the best of luck, momma. It was scary while we were having to take her to PT because we didn't know anything about it, I never even heard of it.

Quoting ßitchtastic:" i'm right there with you mama. Ezra ended up not needing PT for his torticollis, and ever since i've ... [snip!] ... over both ways like crazy and his head isn't all wobbly anymore. he can also look to the right now when he's on his belly. "

Such a relief. I'm glad he didn't need PT. That's exactly how brooklyn was, she couldn't look to her right. We had to put her in her bumbo to sit her up and we'd have it sideways so that she had no choice but to look to the right to watch tv, it helped, OP try that.

Quoting chassidy ♥:" Such a relief. I'm glad he didn't need PT. That's exactly how brooklyn was, she couldn't look to her ... [snip!] ... to sit her up and we'd have it sideways so that she had no choice but to look to the right to watch tv, it helped, OP try that."

Lol i did the same with ezra! i would sit him in his bumbo and make it so he couldn't see us unless he looked right. it's so much better now. i just discovered today that he can roll from back to belly. i KNEW i put him on his back before i went to make lucy lunch. i came back a few minutes later and he was on his belly. i thought i'd lost my mind, but i put him on his back again and he rolled right back over. little stinker.

Tyler developed plageocephaly due to torticollis also. He got his cranial helmet at 7 months and had to wear it 24hours a day for 5 months. It was a fight to get the helmet at first b/c of insurance and everything, but it was WELL worth it!

Quoting ßitchtastic:" Lol i did the same with ezra! i would sit him in his bumbo and make it so he couldn't see us unless ... [snip!] ... he was on his belly. i thought i'd lost my mind, but i put him on his back again and he rolled right back over. little stinker."

   

due to brooklyn's torticollis, she was a late learner... like with rolling over, sitting up, walking, etc. I mean she wasn't late on walking, she walked at like 11 months but compared to her sister, she was later.

Quoting *AmberStrass*:" Tyler developed plageocephaly due to torticollis also. He got his cranial helmet at 7 months and had ... [snip!] ... a day for 5 months. It was a fight to get the helmet at first b/c of insurance and everything, but it was WELL worth it! "

OMG. He's so cute and I love his helmet. Is that him after his helmet in your avi? I thought brooklyn was going to have a flat spot on the back of her head because of the torticollis, but she doesn't. I mean the back of her head is a little lumpy but they didn't seem to worried about it.

Quoting chassidy ♥:"     due to brooklyn's torticollis, she was a late learner... like with rolling over, sitting ... [snip!] ... up, walking, etc. I mean she wasn't late on walking, she walked at like 11 months but compared to her sister, she was later."

Tyler was delayed with that too. He rolled over at 8 months, crawled at 10 months. But he walking like a pro at 12 months!

Quoting chassidy ♥:" OMG. He's so cute and I love his helmet. Is that him after his helmet in your avi? I thought brooklyn ... [snip!] ... of the torticollis, but she doesn't. I mean the back of her head is a little lumpy but they didn't seem to worried about it."

Ill find a pic of how flat his head was. It was awful. His head isn't "perfect" now, but you would never know unless I told you. The helmet helped out sooo much.
I think Tyler's was so flat b/c not only did he have torticollis, he would sleep 10 hours through the night. And he would only lie on that side of his head, no rolling over.

Quoting chassidy ♥:" How old is your daughter and how old was she when she was first diagnosed with torticollis? My youngest ... [snip!] ... momma. It was scary while we were having to take her to PT because we didn't know anything about it, I never even heard of it."

She was also diagnosed at 4 months with congenital muscular torticollis. She is now 6 months. She is being seen by an Easter Seals pediatric therapist during home visits. She can, but usually refuses to turn her head to her right and can turn WAY to her left. The surrounding muscles are very tight and she has a knot on the left side of her neck. Her left shoulder also sits a little higher than her right shoulder.

She took a look at DD's facial construction and didn't see much abnormalities except her forehead sticks out a littler further on her left side and her ears are slightly misaligned.

The reason for the need of a helmet is to fix the flatness on the back of the left side of her head. It's not yet 100% that she will get/need a helmet, but I was told it was a high possibility.

Quoting *AmberStrass*:" Ill find a pic of how flat his head was. It was awful. His head isn't "perfect" now, but you would never ... [snip!] ... have torticollis, he would sleep 10 hours through the night. And he would only lie on that side of his head, no rolling over."

Brooklyn had colic so she was a fussy baby and she was only happy if she was in her swing so she literally lived in her swing until she was 6 months old. At 6 months old, I had to take the swing from her.

Quoting chassidy ♥:" Such a relief. I'm glad he didn't need PT. That's exactly how brooklyn was, she couldn't look to her ... [snip!] ... to sit her up and we'd have it sideways so that she had no choice but to look to the right to watch tv, it helped, OP try that."

We've been doing that also while she's in her bumbo and also during diaper changes and bathing we would place her to where we are on her right to get to look at us instead of looking to her left.

Quoting *AmberStrass*:" Tyler developed plageocephaly due to torticollis also. He got his cranial helmet at 7 months and had ... [snip!] ... a day for 5 months. It was a fight to get the helmet at first b/c of insurance and everything, but it was WELL worth it! "

Awe! He is handsome! Love his helmet too! I hope that if DD does get a helmet it will be super cute!

Quoting ★ Raych ★:" She was also diagnosed at 4 months with congenital muscular torticollis. She is now 6 months. She is ... [snip!] ... back of the left side of her head. It's not yet 100% that she will get/need a helmet, but I was told it was a high possibility."

OMG. That's exactly the same thing that they said about brooklyn. It had to do with a tightness of a muscle in her neck. The doctor and PT would massage her neck, she'd scream. I'm not sure a helmet was ever mentioned or not, I can't remember it was so long ago, well like a year ago, so not that long ago. Brooklyn's shoulder sat higher than the other, too. Maybe a few months of PT will fix it and she wont need a helmet. Good luck.