Torticollis
Torticollis or “wry neck” is a condition where an infant or child’s neck becomes twisted and locked to one side. Typically this causes pain and stiffness in the neck and can lead to headaches. Torticollis can create a severe loss of motion in older children and can be painful as well.
Torticollis typically develops due to irritation of the nerves of the upper neck, which house the nerves which control the neck muscles.
Some common symptoms you will find with torticollis are:
- Head tilted to one side
- Signs of pain and discomfort
- Stiff and limited movement in the neck
- Headaches
- Can result in ear infections
How Did My Child’s Nerves Get Irritated?
For infants the cause is typically the birth process, unless there was some other form of trauma. Birth can be quite difficult on an infants delicate spine. The spine is much more than just a sack of bones, muscles, and ligaments. It’s the protective housing for our nervous system, the master communication system between our brain and body. Learn more about how birth can affect your child’s health.
The stress typically associated with birth can cause a condition known as a subluxation, a misalignment in the spine that places stress and tension of the nerves exiting the spine.
It’s important to note that use of interventions such as pitocin, forceps, vacuum, c-section, etc increase the likelihood of causing a subluxation.
When the subluxation occurs it typically interferes with nerves in the upper neck, which control the neck muscles. When this occurs the muscles go into a protective state of spasm, causing the head tilt.
For our older children, torticollis can happen through playtime, sports, poor posture, and even sleeping.
We Don’t Guess We Test
At Vitality Family Chiropractic, we pride ourselves on addressing the root cause of the problem, not just treating the issue. In order to do so we don’t guess, we test by using state of the art technology to see if your child has a subluxation causing their torticollis. These scans use infrared thermal technology to measure and detect stress and inflammation on the nervous system. This takes us to the exact source of the problem. With out scans there is NO pain, NO radiation, and it’s safe to use on infants, children, and adults.
How Do We Correct The Cause?
Adjustments on newborns are incredibly gentle. The adjustment uses mild pressure (the same pressure you’d use to check the ripeness of a tomato) and vibration to assist the vertebrae back into it’s proper position.
By removing the subluxation, we remove the stress on the nerves, allowing the muscles to go back to their normal position, giving your children their health back!