Flat Head and Ear Shifted Forward Due to Tortacolis

Hi Y.

My daughter had tortacolis when she was born my daughter would only turn her head I want to say to her left side. Neither our doctor nor PT suggedted a helmet. NOW my friends son also had tortacolis and had to use a helmet, for the flat spot on his head, so I think it really depends on the severity of the situation. BUT feel assured that w/ the right PT your daughter will grow out of her tortacolis. My daughter's ear was slightly shifted but she is fine now. Tummy time is very very important in helping her strengthen her neck muscles and your PT can show you tricks to how to better hold her and postion her in her swing and car seat but using rolled up birth clothes to keep her head straight. Email me if you have anyquestions. ____@____.com.

Deanna is right you should also be putting stimulating things (mirror/toys) to the side s/he didn't like to turn to get her/him to turn that way. THIS exercise is key to helping.

My son also had torticollis (or however it's spelled) and developed a flat spot on his head. His ears were very slightly mis-aligned. We got him started in physical therapy for the torticollis. As far as the flat head was concerned, we'd heard that the problem could self-correct over time. But, we wondered, what if it didn't? If the helmet is to be used, it must be done before the baby gets too old and the skull is no longer malleable, so we knew we had a time limit for our decision. We stewed and stewed about it, but finally decided to go ahead and get a helmet for him. To our relief, it didn't seem to bother him at all; he wore it 23 hours a day for about 3 months. He didn't get his helmet until he was closer to 5 months old, even though we'd gotten the script for it when he was 4 months old... his head control was not stable enough at 4 months to tolerate the added weight of the helmet. But by 5 months he was good to go. I think the age of starting is different for every kid, depending on where they are in their development.

Of course, my son's head shape may have corrected on its own. But we were glad that we'd taken some proactive steps. You'll have to decide what you're comfortable with doing... mostly I wanted to share my experience so that you know that a helmet is not as bad/scary as it looks.

I completely agree with the chiropractic care. I am a chiropractor in Birmingham and working on earning my pediatric diplomate. It is to specialize in children. During this program we learn about tortacollis and how it can effect the cranial bones. There are several techniques to correct this misalignment. When the cranial bones are not lined up properly it can effect the ear position. Please feel free to email me or even give me a call with any questions. The office number is ###-###-####. If you want help finding a chiro in your area with specialized training look on www.ICPA4kids.org or let me know and I will try to help you find on.
Best of luck!

I let my first doctor tell me not to worry about head shape and it was a mistake. My son finally got a helmet and it did resolve some of the problems, but his head will permanently be flattened on one side. Push for the helmet. As for the ear--I don't know that it can be shifted back at this point. My son didn't have a shift in ear placement, but his cheekbone on one side is distorted... As for the torticollis, watch it carefully. If it doesn't improve she will need physical therapy. If it isn't corrected, her line of sight will change and her vision will be altered. Also--the longer torticollis lasts, the less likely it will ever be entirely resolved. My son is 6 years old and he still has a slight tilt to his head.

Now is the time to visit a craneo plastic surgeon. A helmet is the best option as well as physical therapy. We saw Dr. Arlene Rozelle who is the chief of pediatric cranial plastic surgery at Children's. She'll give you a script for PT as well as do the helmet stuff. She's the best in michigan. Her in office helmet guy is from UofM with the guy who developed the hemets. ###-###-#### If your child already has ear shifting, this won't get fixed on it's own. The earlier you do the helmet the better.

My son had that too. He wore a helmet as an infant for about 6 months. His one ear is a little shifted and larger but it's not really noticable. His head is perfectly round now and no harm to any facial features. I am glad we did it at the young age. We had to drive out to Ann Arbor for the helmet and the follow ups for adjustments. You could always just wait the month but you could also talk to the Dr. about what the other Dr.s told you and see what they think. What was the reason for not using a helmet on a 4 month old? I seem to remember my son sitting in the bathtub so he was sitting on his own when he got it. Maybe that's an issue, to have them able to pick and hold up their heads before additional weight is added to the neck?

It's a hard decision to make but it's better to think in the long term for your child. Good luck :)

When our daughter arrived from Korea she had tortacolis. I took her to an orthopedic doctor, who recommended extensive exercises to get her to rotate fully. I also took her to my chiropractor who gave her several adjustments and this was more helpful that anything else. It is a very soft manipulation done with thumbs. We addressed the issues very early and aggressively, they resolved themselves quickly. She is now turning ten and you see absolutely now effects.

Be strong and persistent in your journey!

My son had the torticollis along with a number of other things and did not use the helmet and has a good shaped head now - did the therapy and rolling towels, putting stimulating things (mirror/toys) to the side he didn't like to turn to get him to turn that way, etc. I say go with one or two doctors that you really trust and your gut. You spend more time with this baby than anyone else does and know her behaviors so you'll make a good decision.

Do the exercises and stretches at home that the PT gives you and you'll probably see results pretty quickly. I even changed how I held my son during bottle feedings because I realized he was turning his head in to me when I fed him.

Good luck!

My best friend's middle daughter had torticollis pretty badly and a very mis-shapen head as a result. She never wore a helmet or did any special therapy and she grew out of it completely. Her head looks totally normal now. I wouldn't do anything aggressive or uncomfortably for your baby. She'll be fine.

Good luck!

My son has the same problem. He is now 7 and has recently started going to the chriopractor. I did not have it treated when he was younger, so now he has a flat spot. The chropractor said that it could have been fixed had he started treatments sooner. We are working on making it better. I know some don't like chropractors, but if you find a good one they are great. I am taking my 3wk old baby next week as she is doing the same thing.

You should really look into chiropractic care. They have a ridiculously high rate of success in treating tortacolis. If you are leary of chiropractors, I would do a little research on your own and do a consult with a chiropractor so you can feel comfortable understanding their training and what they do. I can recommend Dr. Lisa Bell of Advanced Health Chiropractic in Troy. She is excellent with babies and children. For the life of me, i can't understand why pediatricians don't recommend chiropractic care... it really works and is affordable too. Good luck.

Just do the exercises with her as much as you can.
I alwaysrolled a recieving blanket up and put it behind her neck when theyre in the swing or seat. That lifts their head just a little bit-enough to take pressure off the head! IT WORKS!

My son's tortacolis was corrected with PT and exercises. You may want to see if you can find a physical therapist who is trained in pediatric cranial sacral therapy (I know there is a good one at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak). I know that each case is different, but torticolis is definitely something that can be corrected without a helmet for many children.

My son is going to turn 1 YR OLD on August 23rd. He was diagnosed with torticollis early by his pediatrician. We began seeing a pediatric orthopeadist and a physical therapist at the Children's Hospital right away. He was developing a flat spot on one side of his head and a "lump" on the other, his ears were not positioned properly due to his head not being symmetrical. The ortho and PT corrected all of the problems within a few months and we were able to avoid the helmet. It is great that you are taking care of this so soon. He was able to reach his milestones as expected due to early treatment. Because, they favor one side with torticollis crawling, sitting, reaching can all be affected if it is not corrected early. Hope this helps.
Jenn

My son had a helmet for plagiocephaly so I won't go into detail because it's not the same thing. However, his orthodist at Mary Free Bed in Grand Rapids who was EXCELLENT (but doesn't work there anymore) said she recommended starting the helmet at 4 months old to get the most benefit possible. My son started at 8 months and it helped but not as much as it could have. There is a lot of head growth that happens before they are 1 year old. The helmet helps guide the head in shaping that growth. They really do get used to it fast and they'll never remember having it.