Torticollis is a condition where a baby or young child consistently holds their head tilted to one side and rotated to the other — often because of tightness or tension in the sternocleidomastoid muscle (the large muscle running along the side of the neck). Most parents first notice it when their baby seems to prefer looking one direction, has trouble turning to nurse on one side, or develops a flat spot on one side of their head. Conventional treatment typically involves stretching exercises and physical therapy, which can be helpful — but they work on the muscle without addressing the neurological reason the muscle is tight in the first place. Chiropractic care focuses on the underlying tension in the upper cervical spine that's driving the muscle imbalance, giving the body a much better foundation for lasting correction.

Birth is almost always part of the story. The upper cervical spine — particularly the C1 and C2 vertebrae — is the most vulnerable region of a newborn's body during delivery. Rotational forces, lateral pulling, vacuum or forceps assistance, a prolonged pushing stage, or even a fast unassisted delivery can leave the upper cervical spine with significant tension or misalignment. When C1 or C2 are stressed, the muscles surrounding that area — including the sternocleidomastoid — tighten as a protective response. That protective tension is what creates the characteristic head tilt and rotation of torticollis. The muscle isn't the problem — it's responding to the problem. Addressing the spinal tension at the source is what allows the muscle to finally let go.

Stretching is a reasonable starting point, and we fully support families doing the exercises their pediatrician or physical therapist recommends. But stretching a muscle that keeps tightening because of an unresolved neurological issue is a bit like bailing water without plugging the hole. Many families come to us after weeks or months of consistent stretching with limited progress — and once we address the upper cervical tension driving the muscle tightness, they start seeing movement and range of motion improve in ways the stretching alone wasn't producing. Chiropractic care and physical therapy work beautifully together for torticollis. We're not asking you to choose — we're offering the piece that's often missing from the picture.

Almost always, yes. Torticollis and plagiocephaly are close companions. When a baby consistently holds their head in one position — turned and tilted the same direction day after day — the skull, which is still soft and moldable in the early months, begins to flatten on the side they favor. The flat spot then makes it even more comfortable to rest in that position, which reinforces the pattern. Addressing the torticollis early is one of the most important things you can do to prevent plagiocephaly from progressing or to support correction if it's already developing. When we restore proper range of motion in the neck and upper cervical spine, babies naturally start moving their heads more freely — and the skull gets the varied pressure it needs to round out appropriately.

The earlier the better — and we mean that genuinely. The first few months of life are a critical window for the nervous system and musculoskeletal development. Tension that's addressed at two weeks or two months is far easier to resolve than tension that's been held for a year. We see newborns regularly, and the adjustments at that age are incredibly gentle — light fingertip pressure along the upper cervical spine, nothing more. Many families notice improved head turning within the first few visits. Full resolution depends on how long the pattern has been established and how much tension is present, but torticollis is one of the conditions that responds very well to early, consistent chiropractic care. If your baby is already showing a head preference, don't wait to see if they grow out of it — come in and let us take a look.