title: Congenital muscular torticollis.
abstract: Congenital muscular torticollis is a painless condition usually presenting during infancy with a tight sternocleidomastoid muscle causing the child's head to be tilted to the tightened side. Limited neck motion and a palpable tumor within the muscle are often present. A regimen of stretching exercises is the most common form of treatment with positive outcomes for over 90% of the identified cases. Rarely children require surgical intervention to release the tightened muscle. Botox injections to relax the tight muscle is a new form of treatment being used by some practitioners. Torticollis also presents as a symptom for a variety of muscular, bony, and neurologic conditions, which are briefly reviewed in this article.
authors.affiliation: Shriners Hospitals for Children, Intermountain, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
authors.forename: Brenda L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Luther
mesh_terms: D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D009465:Neuromuscular Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016530:Orthopedic Nursing / Q000379:methods; D014103:Torticollis / Q000145:classification / Q000151:congenital* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D009465:Neuromuscular Agents; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A