Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Apr 1;34(2):185-191.
doi: 10.1097/PEP.0000000000000879.

Infants With Torticollis Who Changed Head Presentation During A Physical Therapy Episode

Kelly R Greve  1 , Rebecca A Perry, Amy K Mischnick
Affiliations

Infants With Torticollis Who Changed Head Presentation During A Physical Therapy Episode

Kelly R Greve et al. Pediatr Phys Ther. .

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to describe infants with congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) who changed head presentation during an episode of physical therapy.

Methods: Data were extracted from electronic medical records between January 2015 and December 2018 to describe infants with CMT who changed presentation.

Results: Eighty-nine infants met criteria (predominantly male, non-Hispanic, White, with private insurance). Torticollis symptoms were noticed by 3 months in 90% of infants with a physical therapy examination before 6 months in 100% of infants. Most infants had early mild CMT with abnormal head shape and greater limitation in active cervical range of motion (ROM) than passive cervical ROM. Clinicians frequently recommended weekly physical therapy that included first- choice and supplemental interventions. Episodes of care averaged 7 visits over 64 days with 73% of infants meeting goals.

Conclusion: Physical therapists should recognize that infants with CMT may change presentation but benefit from physical therapy to resolve symptoms.Digital Abstract available at: http://links.lww.com/PPT/A366.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Aarnivala HE, Valkama AM, Pirttiniemi PM. Cranial shape, size and cervical motion in normal newborns. Early Hum Dev. 2014;90(8):425–430.
    1. Stellwagen LM, Hubbard E, Chambers C, Jones KL. Torticollis, facial asymmetry and plagiocephaly in normal newborns. Arch Dis Child. 2008;93(10):827–831.
    1. Kaplan SL, Coulter C, Sargent B. Physical therapy management of congential muscular torticollis: a 2018 evidence-based clinical practice guideline from the APTA Academy of Pediatric Physical Therapy. Pediatr Phys Ther. 2018;30(4):240–290.
    1. Danielsson A, Anderlid B-M, Stödberg T, Lagerstedt-Robinson K, Klackenberg Arrhenius E, Tedroff K. Benign paroxysmal torticollis of infancy does not lead to neurological sequelae. Dev Med Child Neurol. 2018;60(12):1251–1255.
    1. Hadjipanayis A, Efstathiou E, Neubauer D. Benign paroxysmal torticollis of infancy: An underdiagnosed condition. J Paediatr Child Health. 2015;51(7):674–678.

Supplementary concepts

LinkOut - more resources