Development in Children Diagnosed with Congenital Muscular Torticollis

Congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) is a common postural deformity that occurs shortly after birth and is typically characterized by ipsilateral cervical lateral flexion and contralateral cervical rotation due to unilateral shortening of the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle. It is a non-neurological postural disorder that usually affects 3% to 16% of infants. Theories such as intrauterine stenosis, vascular causes, fibrosis of the peripartum hemorrhage area, difficult labor, and primary myopathy of the SCM muscle have been put forward for its causes. In tissue samples taken after surgery, edema, degeneration of muscle fibers, and fibrosis have been reported. It is thought that CMT affects the muscles as well as head and facial development, causing various asymmetries, delays in gross motor functions, and disorders in posture and balance control. A bent neck position can cause plagiocephaly. Characteristic craniofacial deformities include asymmetry in the brow and cheekbones, deviation of the chin and nose tip, inferior orbital abnormality on the affected side, asymmetry in ear placement, and shortening of the vertical dimension of the ipsilateral face. In later periods, it has been shown that it may cause asymmetry in the use of the upper extremities, delay in gross motor functions, and effects on posture and balance control in children. It is thought that head position may affect the shoulder, rib cage, and abdominal muscles, which may have a negative effect on posture control and movement development, sensory-motor coordination, and cause gross motor function retardation. For these reasons, children with congenital muscular torticollis should be evaluated comprehensively in the early period. This study, which was planned to evaluate the motor development and sensory processing of children with CMT, was designed according to the lack of literature.