Torticollis Relief in East Brunswick, New Jersey
Torticollis happens when the muscles on one side of the neck become abnormally tighter, which can cause your baby’s head to tilt to one side and sometimes turn. If you’ve noticed your little one preferring one direction, struggling to rotate their head, or looking uncomfortable in certain positions, you’re not alone. This is a common concern for new parents.
In many cases, torticollis in infants is linked to birth-related neck strain. This can result during the delivery, especially when it is assisted. During delivery, a baby’s head and neck may be tractioned and flexed in various directions to release the baby’s shoulders from the pelvis and pull the baby’s body through the birth canal. This force can misalign the neck vertebrae, irritate spinal nerves, and impair balanced neck muscle tone and normal, full range of motion.
How Chiropractic Helps
At Freedman Chiropractic, we don’t tell parents to wait it out, hoping it will go away on its own or will not worsen over time. Instead, we gently and expertly evaluate your baby’s spine and nervous system to detect, locate, and reduce spinal misalignments that irritate nerves, contributing to muscle tightness and limited ranges of motion.
If we find areas of spinal misalignment and nerve irritation, technically referred to as the vertebral subluxation complex, Dr. Freedman uses very gentle, specific adjustments designed for infants. The goal is to reduce stress on the nervous system, support more balanced muscle function, and help your baby move their head and neck more comfortably and completely.
Helping Feeding Feel Easier
Torticollis can also make feeding more difficult, especially for nursing mothers. When a baby can’t turn their head easily, latching on one side becomes more difficult and uncomfortable. Under this condition, feeding positions become more stressful for both the baby and the parent.
By improving neck comfort and mobility, chiropractic care helps make nursing and bottle-feeding positions feel more natural, making feeding calmer and more consistent.
Beyond Muscle Tightness
Because the alignment of the upper neck is directly related to how well the nervous system functions, we evaluate the baby’s entire spine to be sure it is in proper alignment. This supports better communication with muscles and joints and, more importantly, with the organs and systems that support thriving, proper growth, and resistance to colds, viral infections, and illness.
For this reason, periodic chiropractic checkups are the single best thing a parent can do to support a child’s natural, healthy lifestyle and reduce the likelihood of resorting to riskier medical interventions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes torticollis in infants?
Is chiropractic care safe for infants with torticollis?
How quickly will my baby improve?
Book an Appointment
If your infant is struggling with torticollis, contact us today to schedule an appointment and find out what may be contributing to your baby’s discomfort. Our goal is to help your baby feel more comfortable, move more freely, and support healthy development.
