Massage techniques for newborn baby's crooked neck

We all know that newborns may have some deformities when they are born. The phenomenon of crooked neck in newborns is relatively common in neonatology, but this phenomenon is not a terminal illness. For newborns with crooked necks, because their bones have not yet grown into a special shape, their crooked necks can be treated through a massage technique. The following editor will introduce you to the massage technique for crooked necks in newborns.

Torticollis literally means "twisted neck"; medically it describes the phenomenon in which the head is tilted or turned to one side due to inconsistent muscle strength on both sides of the neck.

Torticollis is a very common phenomenon in newborns. Because the fetus is curled up in the uterus, as the fetus grows day by day, the space becomes smaller and smaller, and the fetus's neck will gradually twist to coordinate the body and adapt to the space in the uterus. As a result of neck twisting, the muscle on one side of the neck - the sternocleidomastoid muscle - is gradually stretched, resulting in a difference in the length of the sternocleidomastoid muscles on both sides of the neck. After the baby is born, the head naturally tilts to the side with the shorter sternocleidomastoid muscle. If the child's head is held in a neutral position or turned to the side, the shorter sternocleidomastoid muscle will be stretched.

How to correct crooked neck of newborn baby

In addition to the above reasons, torticollis may also be caused by certain reasons after birth. For example, when a certain part of a child's head is relatively flat, he will tilt it because it is more comfortable lying that way; or parents always let their children lie in the same position, which over time will cause the child to like to keep his head in the same position, thus causing positional torticollis. Positional torticollis causes the neck to twist repeatedly in one direction, causing the muscles on one side of the neck to gradually shorten.

A doctor can determine whether a child has torticollis through a simple physical examination. If you do not feel a small olive-shaped lump on the shorter side of your child's neck, simply correct your child's sleeping position regularly and try to keep his head in a neutral position. If a child has a small lump on his neck, parents should give the child neck massage and stretching exercises at home under the guidance of a doctor.

If the neck muscle tone and length are still inconsistent 2 to 3 months after the baby is born, the doctor will ask a physical therapist to intervene. A physical therapist may stretch the shorter neck muscle, the sternocleidomastoid, through coordination exercises. Generally, torticollis can be corrected after 2 to 3 months of treatment.

For the very few children who do not improve with physical therapy, the surgeon may consider surgically cutting the tight sternocleidomastoid muscle on the shorter side of the neck to achieve the purpose of muscle stretching.