Mistakes that cause children to have a stiff neck that parents need to avoid

Doctor Do Thi Lan, Department of Traditional Medicine and Rehabilitation, Hai Phong Children's Hospital said that the unit recently received a 4-year-old patient for examination with a torticollis. The results of the child's clinical and paraclinical examinations have ruled out the risk of congenital diseases and muscle fibrosis.

According to the patient's family, the family trained the child to roll over early from more than 2 months old. The baby lies prone with his head stretched out for a long time, and when tired, he will lower himself.

At about 4 months, the child showed signs of torticollis, but the parents waited for it to go away on its own. After two weeks of waiting, there was no improvement, so the parents took the child to see a doctor.

Children with torticollis. (Photo: BSCC)

Torticollis in children has many causes such as: Posture (breech position in the womb, after birth due to incorrect holding and positioning, inappropriate age-appropriate movement); Fibrosis of the sternocleidomastoid muscle; Congenital diseases such as cerebral palsy, slow motor development, congenital deformities of the cervical spine.

“The cause of the 4-month-old patient’s crooked neck is that the family taught him to crawl too early. At that time, the neck muscles were still weak and the baby could not crawl, and the parents supported him to hold his head and neck, so the neck tilted back for too long, causing the neck muscles to weaken, tire, and gradually become crooked to one side ,” said Dr. Lan.

Torticollis due to incorrect posture is common in children 4-6 months old. Torticollis can appear later, up to 1 year old, when parents let their children crawl early, hold them, place them in the wrong position, breastfeed them in the wrong position, or watch too much TV.

If the child has postural torticollis and the torticollis is not severe and the child has good neck movement, the doctor will instruct the child on home care and exercise. In some cases, the child will need therapeutic intervention.

According to Dr. Lan, treatment of torticollis will combine many traditional medicine and rehabilitation modalities including: electroacupuncture, acupressure massage, electropulse, electrolysis, neck stretching, infrared, ultrasound treatment, and neck brace. This helps soften stiff muscle groups, strengthen weak muscle groups, and practice controlling the head and neck to keep the child's head and neck in the correct physiological position.

To avoid children having a crooked neck, parents should note:

- Let children exercise at the right developmental milestones.

- Do not force your baby to crawl too early. When your baby crawls, do not let him lie on his stomach with his head out for too long.

- Young children have weak neck muscles and should not be carried early. If the child has this need, the head should be supported when being carried.

- Should let the baby breastfeed on both sides.

- Avoid lying on your side or turning your head and neck to one side for too long.

- Limit prolonged tilted (rotated) head and neck posture.

- When children are young, limit their TV viewing to avoid prolonged immobility, which can cause their necks to become tired and tilted.

Note, when children have abnormalities in the cervical spine, they need to be taken to the doctor early.

Daily

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/sai-lam-khien-tre-bi-veo-co-cha-me-can-tranh-ar912374.html