Can Torticollis Cause Feeding Problems?
- Sabrina Thorpe
- Jun 18
- 4 min read
When it comes to infant complaints, torticollis and feeding problems are some of the most common. Torticollis is a condition that affects up to 1 in 6 infants and causes a baby to have a head tilt, turn, or head position preference. Feeding problems can vary widely in their cause, from tension to poor suck and tongue function. Often we will see torticollis and feed problems go hand in hand. Let’s explore why that is.
Torticollis affects mobility
In most cases of torticollis, a baby’s mobility is affected. Traditionally, this has been believed to isolated to the neck region. While torticollis is most easily recognized because of its effect on the neck, other areas that can have reduced mobility include:
Rib cage
Abdomen
Hips
Jaw
When these areas of the body do not move well, it can cause significant difficulties in feeding.
Why does reduced mobility effect feeding?
The entire body is connected (anyone else remember the song about the head bone being connected to the leg bone?). When one area of the body is operating in dysfunction, this will be echoed through the rest of the body. Specifically when mobility is reduced in a muscle or a joint, other areas of the body will compensate. There is also usually a cause for the reduced mobility, and in a majority of cases it’s tension. Tension affects muscles and fascia, creating what we call “lines of pull.” These lines of pull are what affect the functions of feeding in a baby.
What does it look like to have torticollis affect feeding?
Because a baby is lacking full mobility throughout the body, we can see a number of different feeding challenges. These include:
Breast preference. Because of restrictions, one side will often be significantly less comfortable to nurse on than the other.
Feeding fatigue. Tension and restrictions can cause baby to have to work harder to overcome them in order to feed, making feeding a tiring process.
Chompy sucking. Due to the full body nature of torticollis, often babies will present with tension in the jaw. This limits their ability to have smooth jaw motion while feeding and can result in more of a chomping pattern. This is often less effective and also more painful for mom when breastfeeding.
Altered tongue function. Depending on where a baby is presenting with tension, this can affect the muscles of the throat and under the jaw which help the tongue to function properly. Tension in the body can also pull on the deep front line, a continuous chain of fascia that connects our tongue to our big toe.
Poor feeding reflexes. There are a number of reflexes that babies rely on to learn how to eat. Tension and limited mobility can over ride these reflexes, making them inaccessible to baby to use them.
When torticollis is present it is not uncommon to see a combination, or even all, of these feeding challenges.
What to do about torticollis and feeding problems?
The first thing to do if you see your baby with a head tilt is to have them evaluated by a physical therapist. Physical therapy to treat torticollis involves:
Stretching
Exercises
Handling and positioning techniques
Environmental modifications
Gentle manual therapy
Often feeding issues will often improve significantly when torticollis is being properly addressed.
The other thing to do is to be seen by a skilled lactation consultant, or IBCLC. IBCLCs are experts in infant feeding and can help not only with nursing but bottle feeding challenges. You can also seek out other providers who directly address feeding issues as well such as speech therapists. Making sure that baby is taking in enough milk while experiencing feeding difficulties is important, and working with these professionals is crucial to determining this. In the event that baby is not taking in enough, they can work with you on strategies to meet baby’s nutritional needs while working through their torticollis recovery.
At Foundation Physical Therapy, we specialize in helping infants with torticollis and feeding problems. We are part of a collaborative wellness collective that includes an IBCLC holistic care. If you are local to Waukesha, WI, we would love to help you and your baby feel and feed better.
Looking for more information about torticollis? Check out The Complete Guide to Torticollis for Babies.
FAQ
When should I seek help for torticollis?
Early intervention results in faster and easier resolution. It is important to understand that as babies, especially newborns, learn to move their bodies, they may do some weird things. However, if you start to notice that baby never moves out of their preferred position or is resistive to being moved out of it by you, a physical therapy assessment is warranted.
My pediatrician said my baby would grow out of torticollis. Is that true?
Typically, no. Are there some cases where a baby “grows out of it”? Yes, but I would argue that it wasn’t a true torticollis then and was a baby experimenting and learning how to move their body. A true torticollis is an issue with tension and restricted motion. This isn’t grown out of, it is simply grown into.
Who do I see to treat my baby’s torticollis?
A physical therapist is the best provider to see to treat torticollis. Physical therapists can perform a comprehensive assessment of a baby and treat what they find, unlike most primary care providers.
Do I need a referral to physical therapy for treating my baby’s torticollis?
In the state of Wisconsin, a referral is not required for physical therapy services. However, other states have different rules and requirements, so it is dependent on your area.
Dr. Sabrina Thorpe is a Doctor of Physical Therapy with a decade of clinic experience. She specializes in treating pregnant and postpartum women and their infants at Foundation Physical Therapy in Waukesha, WI.
Comments