Today we will talk about the causes and symptoms of torticollis in a newborn. This disease is quite common and, by the way, most often affects girls.
The most common is a right-handed torticollis. There is a bilateral pathology. In such cases , the baby's head tilts back or leans forward. Turns to the sides are sharply limited.
Torticollis in newborns: signs of the disease
Torticollis is a defect in the so-called "nodding" muscle. It is mainly a congenital pathology. The muscle we are talking about is located on both sides of the neck and attaches the upper part to the back, below the ear, to the mastoid process, and the lower to the clavicle. Its main function is the rotation and tilting of the head.
The presence of torticollis in a newborn leads to the fact that the baby's head is forced to tilt towards the diseased muscle and slightly turned in the opposite direction and slightly back. In severe cases, asymmetry of the face may develop , and occasionally mental abnormalities join in.
Causes of the appearance of different types of torticollis in a newborn
It is believed that when it comes to congenital crankshaft, its trauma at the time of birth is added to the intrauterine malformation of the muscle under discussion. Because of this, a hem forms as a result of hemorrhage. The muscle is shortened, and visible defects in the position of the head occur, and the baby’s shoulder blade slightly rises from the affected side.
But immediately after birth, this pathology can be detected only in 1% of cases of this disease. Subsequently, already at the age of three weeks, the affected muscle begins to lag behind in growth, and the head tilt becomes noticeable.
With false crankshaft, there are no such changes. As a rule, such a pathology is the result of general muscle hypertonicity, in which turns and tilts of the head are difficult. It is treated as a neurological disease that does not lead to marked changes.
The consequences of torticollis in a newborn
The disease under discussion requires compulsory treatment, since it can lead to the development of kyphosis and early osteochondrosis in a child. Over time, by the age of seven, due to the forced position of the head, the asymmetry of the child's face may increase:
- the eye and eyebrow on the sore side will be located much lower than on the healthy side;
- the auricles will noticeably vary in shape and size;
- development of the sky is disturbed;
- pathologies in the development of the auditory canal of the patient may also appear.
Treatment of torticollis in newborns
Its early diagnosis is very important for the successful treatment of the disease. The main thing is to be in time before the asymmetry of the skull is formed, because in such cases a good result is almost impossible.
The baby with the help of a cotton-gauze "donut" must be laid so that in a dream his head was in the correct symmetrical position. At the time of feeding, the crumbs are kept, forcing them to turn in a sick direction. Recommendations for the correct laying out and wearing on the baby's hands must be strictly observed, since at this time passive stretching of the shortened muscle occurs.
With this disease, massage is especially effective, to which therapeutic gymnastics and physiotherapy are attached. Sometimes the baby is prescribed to wear a special collar or bonnet. As a result of correctly carried out measures, by the first year of life, it is possible to achieve full recovery.
In severe cases of the disease, as well as the late detection of torticollis, plastic surgery is indicated, followed by wearing a plaster cast for 1.5 months.