Title: Head Tilt (Torticollis) - HealthyChildren.org
Headings: Head Tilt (Torticollis)
Head Tilt (Torticollis)
Acquired torticollis (due to injury or inflammation)
Congenital muscular torticollis
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Content: Acquired torticollis (due to injury or inflammation)
This is more likely to occur in older children, up to the age of nine or ten. This type of torticollis usually results from an inflammation of the throat caused by an upper respiratory infection, a sore throat, an injury, or some unknown factor. The swelling, for reasons still not known, causes the tissues surrounding the upper spine to loosen, allowing the vertebral bones to move out of normal position. When this happens, the neck muscles go into spasm, causing the head to tilt to one side. Onset of this condition is typically sudden and very painful. Congenital muscular torticollis
By far the most common cause of head tilt among children under age five is congenital torticollis. This condition commonly occurs due to positioning while the baby is still in the womb and rarely may occur during birth (particularly breech and difficult first-time deliveries).Whatever the cause, this condition usually is detected in the first six to eight weeks after birth, when the pediatrician notices tightness in one of the muscles of the neck. About half the time there may be a small lump in the muscle. The affected muscle is the sternocleidomastoid muscle, which connects the breastbone, head, and neck. Later the muscle contracts and causes the head to tilt to one side and look toward the opposite side.