Hip Bone's Connected to Your Thigh Bone

So here's the skinny on our little angel. Vivian was born with a tilted neck. Being first-time parents we just figured she wasn't strong enough to hold her head up, not knowing that it should still be straight and in an upright position. At our last pediatrician appointment he had mentioned the tilt in her neck and told us just to give her a neck massage to loosen and lengthen the muscle on the side that was tight and short. After not seeing much improvement over the next month or so, we decided to look into it a little further. We made an appointment with an orthopedic. She was diagnosed with torticollis and hip dysplasia.

What is torticollis?
Torticollis is the fancy way of saying tilted or wry neck. Vivian's head tilts to the right and she looks up and to the left. This is caused by the muscle going from behind her right ear across her neck to her collar bone being tight or short. Torticollis is most often found in first born children and girls. It most likely developed in the womb by the way she was positioned. Because the muscles in the body help to form the placement of the bones, if it is not corrected then she will have the tilt her whole life. Also, the way the muscle is pulling it is also pulling the plates in her head to be mis-shapend. So one side of her head is more rounded than the other.

How are we going to fix it?
Vivian will have to go to physical therapy once a week to do stretches. The physical therapist will also give us homework stretches and exercises to do at home. From what I saw the orthopedic do, it is going to be a little uncomfortable and painful for Vivian until she gets used to it. Although the physical therapy has been proven to be highly successful in this type of condition, if improvement is not seen within the next 5 months, Vivian will have to wear a neck and head brace. Worse case scenario would be surgery.

What about the hip dysplasia?
With torticollis there comes the chance of hip dysplasia. Hips are supposed to be at a 20 degree angle inside the socket. After measuring the angle on Vivian's x-ray, the orthopedic determined that her hips are at a 30 degree angle. Much to large to not do anything about. If left uncorrected, Vivian could develop a hip-click, the hip can eventually dislocate or even disintegrate because the hip would not be positioned correctly in the socket.

How are we going to fix it?
Vivian will be fitted for a hip brace that must be worn 8-10 hours a night while she's sleeping. The brace will hold her hips and legs in an open position. It will have to be worn for about a year. If after a year it is not corrected then surgery will be necessary.

We have a second opinion appointment with an orthopedic next week. If the diagnosis and recommendations are the same then physical therapy begins next week and she begins wearing the hip brace. It will be a challenge at first I'm sure as the three of us get into a new routine. Check back for updates. Feel free to ask any questions.