Basic massage techniques for torticollis

All parents hope that their children will have an upright body when they grow up, but to achieve this, they must pay attention to the baby's physical development from an early age. If the baby is found to have torticollis, treatment should be sought as soon as possible, and some basic torticollis massage techniques should be mastered. Only by persisting in this way can the baby's torticollis condition be truly corrected. When your baby is sleeping, you should also pay attention to his sleeping position and try not to let his head deviate too much.

1. Knead the sternocleidomastoid muscle

Method: The child lies on his back and knead the sternocleidomastoid muscle with the thumb and index finger with moderate force, kneading from top to bottom 20 times.

Note: Use moderate force, within the child's tolerance; do it from top to bottom, in one direction, kneading about twenty times; focus on the lump where the child's sternocleidomastoid muscle is contracted.

2. Push and stroke the sternocleidomastoid muscle

Method: Apply a small amount of talcum powder locally on the child, and use the thumb to push and stroke along the direction of the sternocleidomastoid muscle 20 times.

Note: The function of pushing and stroking is mainly to dredge, clear narrowness, and activate meridians.

3. Neck rotation

Method: Support the child's lower jaw with one hand and the back of the head with the other hand. Coordinate both hands to tilt the child's head toward the healthy side and rotate the lower jaw toward the affected side to the limit. Stay for a moment and return to the original position. Repeat the operation 20 times.

Note: The direction of the operation is opposite to the child's pathological condition; the pathological condition is the head tilted to the left, the face turned to the right, and the left sternocleidomastoid muscle contracture; the treatment operation direction is opposite to the pathological condition.

4. Neck stretch

Method: Clamp the child's legs with both legs, place one hand on the child's chin, support the back of the head with the other hand, stretch both hands upward, and repeat the operation 10 times.

Note: Promote stretching of the sternocleidomastoid muscle to relieve muscle contracture.

Treatment tips for torticollis in children

1. The earlier a child's torticollis is treated, the better the effect will be, and it is necessary to persist in doing so every day.

2. Pay attention to correcting the child’s incorrect posture.

3. Eliminate factors that may easily cause torticollis, such as hanging some toys above the crib where the child sleeps. Be sure to hang them in the middle, not to one side, otherwise it will cause muscular torticollis or ocular torticollis. It's best not to put anything in.

4. Do not let your child’s pillow be too high or too low.

5. Both doctor's treatment and parental care are very important. Mothers who have the conditions can also make a sand pillow for their baby. The sand pillow can be made of fine sand that has been washed, exposed to the sun or heated and disinfected. It can be made into two sand bags of about 20cm×10cm in size and sewn with two layers of cloth.

6. As long as mom and dad take good care of the baby, as the baby grows up and his body position changes, the head tilt will heal naturally around one year old.