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Chiropractic Treatments For Infant Torticollis

If you notice that your child tilts his or her neck and head to the side on a regular basis and has a small bump on the neck, then your child may have a condition know as torticollis, or wryneck.

This is when the child twists or tilts his or her neck to the side, angling it so the chin is turned to the other side. The good news is that this ailment is usually pain-free, creating little or no discomfort for the child. 

About one in 250 babies are born with the condition, making it a relatively common ailment, and interestingly enough, up to 20 percent of babies that are born with torticollis also are born with hip dysplasia. The child may be born with torticollis, in which is labeled congenital torticollis, or your child may come down with it later on, in which then it is referred to as acquired torticollis.

The congenital version occurs when the muscle that connects the collarbone to the skull tightens up to the point where movement is constricted. This could happen due to the positioning of the baby in uterus during the different developmental stages, or during possible trauma during the birthing process. In some, much more rare cases, the torticollis may be a side effect of a more serious condition, such as Kippel-Feil syndrome or a tumor. 

Getting your child diagnosed with torticollis is important since the condition may cause the head to become asymmetrical due to the head constantly being turned to the side. Fortunately, most children are diagnosed with the condition within the first few months of their life, since pediatricians are well-versed in the signs of this ailment. The doctor may ask for x-rays, ultrasounds and an examination of the hips and kidneys.

Treatment for torticollis can vary, however chiropractic may be an option that is all natural and safe. Although parent’s may be hesitant to take their infant to the chiropractor, remember that there are chiropractors who specialized in working on infants, so getting your child this type of treatment isn’t as risky as you may think. Babies with torticollis usually experience subluxations in the upper cervical spinal area. Subluxations are dysfunctions in the vertebra that are causing blockages in the body.

Chiropractic may help clear those blockages through manipulations to the spine. Some doctor’s feel that chiropractic care can be a great addition to a healthcare program, since it may be able to manage the health of the spine and nervous system. When dealing with torticollis specifically, chiropractic focuses on reducing those cervical subluxations. Through manipulation of the spine, cranial alignment and soft tissue therapy, chiropractic techniques may be able to bring about a solution to childhood torticollis.             

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