What Can Cause Congenital Torticollis?

The word "congenital" means "from birth", so congenital torticollis describes a condition where a baby's neck muscles have been shortened since birth. Congenital torticollis differs from other forms of torticollis in that it is usually considered to be painless (no infants have been able to say otherwise) and it can cause other serious health conditions if it is not promptly corrected. Some likely causes of congenital torticollis include:

- birth injury
- inadequate placental blood flow
- abnormal positioning in the uterus
- neck sprain
- vigorous neck movements
- vertebral misalignment causing neural dysfunction
- trauma
- bony abnormalities
- infection
- tumor

Congenital torticollis is never the fault of the pregnant mother, and there is no way to diagnose it before birth. Prompt care is required to diagnose and treat this condition.

Can you think of other causes for congenital torticollis?