Torticollis

As I mentioned in Will's 4 month update, we were referred to a pediatric physical therapist and a pediatric neurosurgeon to evaluate Will's neck muscles and his head shape. Since birth he has favored turning his head to his right side (likely due to congenital torticollis), and as a result, he has a little bit of a flat spot on that side. We've tried positioning him where looking to his left would be more entertaining, and while things have improved over time, it has been a bit of a struggle. Last week we saw the physical therapist, and she did an evaluation of his neck and told me that she thought his case was pretty mild. She gave us some exercises to do several times a day and some additional tips on how to get him to spend more time looking to the left. She also said that she'd seen kids with worse plagiocephaly see lots of improvement with just physical therapy, so that was encouraging. Today Robert and I were both able to go to the appoinment to the neurosurgeon. He evaluated Will's head shape and told us that the plagio was mild to moderate, and that he also thought we would see a lot of improvement with the exercises and positioning. He did go ahead and give us a prescription for a helmet, but he said that it would only be needed purely for cosmetic reasons and that he didn't think the plagio would affect his facial symmetry to untrained eyes - and that he wouldn't have any issues with wearing helmets later if he is in sports activities. :) As we left, Robert and I both decided that we felt like we will not pursue the helmet immediately. We still have a month of so to make a final decision, and in that time hopefully we'll see even more improvement. Both appointments were very encouraging! We go back for another PT appointment next week, so we're looking forward to seeing what she says after a couple of weeks of work.