Infant muscular torticollis is tightening of neck muscles on one side. While some infants have true torticollis, many others have some form of neck tightening which, left untreated, can quickly catapult into plagiocephaly and/or brachycephaly.

While we talk about the neck muscles, often times even a mild torticollis can impact the pelvic area, exploration of the infant’s visual field, and hand use. In a developing infant, not only can these impact the head shape but can impact normal developmental sequences.

Fully addressing these issues as early as possible is the best way to prevent or correct plagiocephaly and brachycephaly. The daily routines of infants has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. Some of these changes include:

Back sleeping (as recommended by American Academy of Pediatricians to prevent SIDs)
Use of equipment with very young infants has increased (bouncy, swings, exersaucer, etc.)
Overall Busier lifestyles which necessitate lengthier times in car seats and less
undivided attention to single tasks (influence of texting, email, etc)
such as playing with infants, etc