Patient's question:
My baby is less than three months old and keeps turning their head to the left. What could be the reason?Doctor's answer:
As you mentioned, consider the possibility of your baby having torticollis. Torticollis is usually caused by fibrosis of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, which loses its normal bending function, leading to neck deviation. The key is to treat it before facial growth and development. For infants under six months old, non-surgical treatments can achieve satisfactory results, including local cold compresses, massage, bed rest immobilization, and manual traction. The specific method for manual traction is as follows: the mother lies the baby flat on her lap, extending the baby's neck backward. The mother gently holds the baby's chest with her right hand and firmly grasps the head and neck with her left hand, rotating the baby's face as far as possible toward the affected side while turning the occipital part toward the healthy shoulder. The technique should be gentle, allowing for significant stretching of the scarred sternocleidomastoid muscle. When the baby is lying down, place them in a supine position, using a small sandbag to fix the head facing the affected side while the occipital part faces the healthy side. For children over six months old, if conservative treatment is ineffective, surgical intervention may be considered. I hope my explanation is helpful to you.