How to treat crooked neck in children

Children's crooked neck, also known as torticollis, can have a great impact on their growth and development. If parents find that their children have symptoms of crooked neck, they should seek timely treatment. Certain correction methods can be used, such as preparing sandbags for correction. Of course, if the correction effect is not good, surgical treatment can be performed at the appropriate age for the child, which can also achieve a good therapeutic effect.

How to treat crooked neck in children

Make two small sandbags (use green sand or yellow sand, wash it with water, expose it to the sun or heat it in an iron pan to disinfect it. Or you can use millet. The main purpose is to prevent the baby from turning his head. Choose double-layer cloth to sew, with a diameter of about 20×10 cm), place the sandbags on both sides of the child's head when he sleeps, which can fix him in the correct position. This treatment should be continued for at least 6 months.

Mothers should choose their position when breastfeeding and sleeping according to the different locations of the lesions. For example, if your child has torticollis on the right side, you should place the child on your left side when feeding and sleeping, and vice versa. This will help the child to correct.

If the effect is not good, surgical treatment should be chosen. The surgical age is usually around 1 year old, and it is best not to exceed 1 and a half years old. Surgery can also achieve ideal therapeutic effects.

What are the dangers of torticollis in babies?

(1) Affecting appearance: The most obvious impact is the asymmetry of the baby’s head shape. In severe cases, it can cause asymmetry between the left and right sides of the baby’s face, resulting in an uneven face.

(2) Since the eyes and ears are no longer on the same horizontal line, the baby's vision and hearing will be indirectly affected.

(3) The development and arrangement of teeth will also be indirectly affected.

What causes torticollis in babies?

Abnormalities of muscles, bones, nerves, etc. can cause the neck to tilt to one side;

Bad sleeping and holding postures can cause pseudo-torticollis in babies, such as sleeping on the same side for a long time or holding the baby. You don't need to worry too much about this. Adjust the sleeping and holding postures and the symptoms will gradually improve and disappear.

The most common cause of torticollis in children is fibrosis of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, the largest muscle in the neck. The sternocleidomastoid muscle is located on both sides of the neck. When the muscle on one side becomes fibrotic, the muscle on that side becomes hard and shorter, which will cause the baby's head to tilt to that side and the chin to tilt to the other side.