Common Infant Struggles

Common Infant Struggles and How Physical Therapy Can Help:

• Torticollis or Head Preference

  • In treating torticollis, I analyze the child’s entire body to identify areas of restricted mobility that are connected to the neck tilt and rotation. There is always a corresponding tilt (often several) that may cause the lower 1/2 of the child’s body to also twist and/or side bend.

    The standard of care for the treatment of torticollis calls for treatment until the child has symmetrical use of the arms and legs. With my techniques, I treat the whole child and consider the impact of every component of movement as important. The duration of treatment can vary depending on the number and severity of restrictions and their effect on motor development. Focused plan of care that meets the unique needs of your child using the Total Motion Release approach.

• Plagiocephaly or Mis-Shaped Head

  • Torticollis is often associated with flat head syndrome or Plagiocephaly, which includes head and facial deformities. Fortunately, treatment for both torticollis and plagiocephaly is often very successful if started early. So please, do not “wait and see” if it gets better on it’s own. Let’s loosen up the restrictions and tension to allow for typical movement patterns and growth.

• Birth Trauma

  • Regardless if you had a smooth and uneventful birth or there were complications, all births come with a degree of physical and emotional trauma. This trauma is on the craniosacral fascial system, or the connective structure of the body. Simply stated, babies get tight, their physiology is impaired, and they are not happy. Using Cranialsacral Fascial Therapy (CFT) - Gillespie Approach, it allows the system to loosen, which can result in both a healthy and happy baby. With a happy baby, comes a happy family.

• Tummy Time Struggles

  • Opportunities for your baby to play on their tummy is going to set them up for success in their development. Not only are they building muscle strength and learning how to work through gravity, a baby is building body awareness, visual perception, eye-hand coordination, motor control and organization, and primary reflex integration.

    So what do you do when your baby’s first response is to cry when you place him/her on his/her belly? This is where specific techniques to help your baby regulate comes in. But first, I always feel there is a reason for true dislike of tummy time. Sure it is hard work for your baby, but if it is not getting better, reach out. There could be many reasons such as posture asymmetry, tight oral tissues, or restricted movement patterns to name a few.

• Colic

  • Most often, babies who have colic are suspected to have an immature nervous system. This means they are unusually sensitive to stimulation and cannot “self-console” or regulate their nervous system. Let’s work together to problem-solve your baby’s discomfort in effort to have a happy baby.