About Baby Torticollis

Our websites has been set up to provide useful information about Torticollis in babies for parents and carers.

The information is provided is not advice but guidance and has been collected from a range of sources and clinical practitioners.

If you have specialist knowledge in torticollis in babies and would like to contribute to this project, please use the contact form on this website and we will contact you.

Please note that no one is employed by BabyTorticollis.org it is a voluntary project – so please bear with us if it takes a little while for us to get back to you.

Torticollis simply means stiff neck. For the sake of simplicity we are subdividing it into two sections:

• Short Term, or simple torticollis – this is by far the most common type seen in babies.
• Long Term, or chronic torticollis.

The most frequent type of Torticollis found in infants is Short Term or simple torticollis. It is not uncommon and is not dangerous in its normal form.

The cause of this type is generally unknown except to say it may have something to do with the birth process or the way the baby was lying in the uterus.

The most important thing to be aware of are the consequences of lying a baby on a flat surface with their head repeatedly turned to one side, resulting in Positional Plagiocephaly or Flat Head Syndrome.

Further information about Flat Head Syndrome can be found on our other website FlatHeadSyndrome.org.uk and can easily be avoided if parents are mindful of the consequences.

In long term torticollis, the baby can be seen to be looking to one side. In addition the head is usually tilted away from the side to which they are looking.

In this instance the muscle at the opposite side of the neck to which the head is rotated is contracted. This muscle is called the Sterno-cleido-mastoid, or sometimes just Sterno-mastoid.

The cause of this is often associated with birth trauma where there has been some damage or even a small bleed into the affected Sterno-cleido-mastoid muscle. The muscle runs from just behind the ear to the inner end of the collar bone.

The most important thing to be aware of are the consequences of lying a baby on a flat surface with their head repeatedly turned to one side, resulting in Positional Plagiocephaly or Flat Head Syndrome.

Further information about Flat Head Syndrome can be found on our other website FlatHeadSyndrome.org.uk and can easily be avoided if parents are mindful of the consequences.

We are also very keen to hear from parents and clinicians who have had either positive or negative experiences, of treatments for Torticollis.

If you have any information you are happy to share with us, please contact us using our contact form.