Physical Therapy...

I had to take Mac to the Physical Therapist today because he has Torticollis. In case you're curious...according to wikipedia it is "wry neck, is a condition in which the head is tilted toward one side (cervical rotation), and the chin is elevated and turned toward the opposite side (cervical extension). It can become a real problem if it is not taken For as long as I can remember, Mac has always tilted his head to the side. I talked to his doctor about it at his last visit; it's mild enough that I had to actually point it out, and she said that it seemed to be a very simple case. You really only notice it when he is in his swing or carseat. She wrote us a script to go and see a PT, but said that if we just work with him, stretching his neck, and not letting it tilt, he would probably be fine. That was a month ago. The other day I noticed that he was getting a flat spot on the back of his head, which can be one of the symptoms so I decided to go ahead and take him in. They did head measurements and basically just watched him sit, roll around, and basically do his thing. She said there is definite muscular tightness in his neck. So I'm thinking no big deal...we'll do some stretches and be on our way, right?....wrong. She is suggesting a helmet! What? I don't know how we went from this being no big deal to needing a helmet that he would have to wear 23 hours a day!!!!

I do think that a lot of times they see patients who have the worst case scenario...and they make recommendations based on that. I'm not saying that's bad. I would much rather have them do a little extra than not enough, but I'm not sure I agree with her recommendation. I called his doctor today and left a message asking her opinion on this so hopefully I will get a call back soon. I will do whatever is best for him...but it just seems like a little bit too much.

So now I'm sitting here running through all these emotions and what if's...I'm upset with myself for not doing something sooner (especially if it ends up being a real problem), I'm mad that the doctor didn't say to go to the PT earlier, I'm worried that this may cause problems for Mac, I'm frustrated that the PT is pushing us to do things that may or may not be necessary, etc, etc...BUT...I'm taking a deep breath and I'm just going to wait for the doctor to call. There's no point in running through the what if's and stressing myself out.

Now let me just add...please don't be offended if you are holding my child and I tell you that you're doing it wrong. The PT did give me some good information on how to hold him so that he will get a good neck stretch...hopefully this will be a simple/easy fix...

Here are a few picture of him so that you can see what I'm talking about...(notice that his chin is always turned to his right shoulder)





The last picture is VERY over exaggerated. It was really just how he was standing, but my point is that he tilts his head...