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Congenital Muscular Torticollis

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The Management of Disorders of the Child’s Cervical Spine

Abstract

Congenital muscular torticollis remains the most common form of congenital torticollis. It has the characteristic features of early presentation in the first few weeks of life, with the infant posturing the head tilted to the side of the affected muscle, with the chin rotated to the opposite side. There may be a palpable mass in the lower portion of the affected sternocleidomastoid muscle. The diagnosis is usually made clinically, but can be corroborated with ultrasound and advanced imaging, as necessitated in atypical cases. The majority of cases of congenital muscular torticollis will resolve after several months of conservative management with manual stretching and physical therapy as needed. Surgical correction may be required in patients with residual deficits in range of motion of the neck, plagiocephaly or facial asymmetry, and late presentation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Kaela Frizzell

  2. St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Archana Malik & Peter Pizzutillo

  3. Drexel University College of Medicine, St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Martin J. Herman

Authors
  1. Kaela Frizzell
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  2. Archana Malik
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  3. Martin J. Herman
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  4. Peter Pizzutillo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Martin J. Herman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Daniel J. Hedequist

  2. Nemours/Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children, Wilmington, Delaware, USA

    Suken A. Shah

  3. Rady’s Children’s Hospital Associate, San Diego, California, USA

    Burt Yaszay

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Frizzell, K., Malik, A., Herman, M.J., Pizzutillo, P. (2018). Congenital Muscular Torticollis. In: Hedequist, D., Shah, S., Yaszay, B. (eds) The Management of Disorders of the Child’s Cervical Spine. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7491-7_11

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-7491-7_11

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-7489-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-7491-7

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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