Question
My baby’s skull is slightly misaligned at birth (the bone on the right side of the face is smaller than on the left), and I only discovered that her head tends to tilt to the right side on the 8th day. There are two hard lumps on her right neck. Could it be that she had torticollis in the womb? Is torticollis treatable through massage, and how long does it generally take?
Answer
There’s no need to worry about newborn torticollis. You can apply talcum powder or high-quality powder to protect the skin on the neck, then gently rub the affected area with the pad of your fingers, twice or thrice a day, for about 5 to 10 minutes each time. After rubbing, hold the baby’s head with both hands to perform passive neck exercises, such as gently bending the neck left and right 10 to 15 times, and rotating the head left and right 10 to 15 times. Additionally, when the child is suckling, allow the head to hang down to the healthy side, or support the head with your arm to tilt it towards the healthy side; this will provide excessive compensation. After adopting these methods, there will be a noticeable effect on both sides, and the patient can recover within 4 to 6 weeks.