physical therapy...

Well, i don't know if i have mention before that mackenzie has a condition called Torticollis. For the detailed definition, it is the following...

...a condition in which the head is tilted toward one side, and the chin is elevated and turned toward the opposite side.

there are two types, congenital or acquired...now because this happened in the womb, mackenzie has congenital...which is explained in the following...

...caused by birth trauma or intrauterine malposition...causing damage to the sternocleidomastoid muscle in the neck. Results in a shortening or excessive contraction of the sternocleidomastoid muscle , often with limited range of motion in both rotation and lateral bending. The head is typically tilted in lateral bending toward the affected muscle and is rotated to the opposite side. ...initially treated with physical therapy, with stretching to correct the tightness...and achieve muscular balance...sometimes a TOT Collar is used...5-10% require surgery if stretching the muscle fails.

So, luckily i work with physical therapist. A few days ago i asked them to look at her. I just wanted to be shown a few good ways to stretch mackenzie's neck, and in the right way. Her pediatrician just keeps saying "stretch it and it will get better." but ed and i weren't sure we were doing it right and don't wanna cause more damage.

So Melissa at work informed me (she recently worked on a 10 month old with this condition) that it is not only the neck that is affected, it's the spine too. It also can delay rolling over, crawing, sitting up..it's a reason she HATES being flat on her back on firm surfaces (ie her crib), and hates tummy time. I was telling her mack tries to roll but gets stuck and arches her back, she tries to push up on her arms on tummy time but within seconds falls flat out like superman and balances on her belly but still tucks her knees under.

Reason: it hurts her to put weight on her arms cause it pulls through her neck and her spine. In just two days, Melissa has worked on mackenzie 3 times while we were at work. She so kindly does this when she has spare time and shows me stretches i can do with her at home. She found that her C7 vertebrae is the one that is out of place and turned slightly...that is right inbetween macks shoulder blades...just at the spot that would stick out if laying down flat in her crib!!

So we are working on adjusting her back and helping her stretch it daily so that the muscles will reeducate themselves as they grow so that hopefully she won't be delayed in her motor developments and won't have a crooked head the rest of her life:)

I haven't gotten a picture or video of her getting the therapy yet, but i will try to remember.. sometimes it's so sad cause she screams when we reach a sore spot, but other times just lays peacefully and even falls asleep through some stretches.

But no post would be complete without an adorable picture of mack...and for those who have survived this mega long boring post, here you go...

She now is big enough to face forward in her carriers...well sorta, she may be a little too short, but she loves it!...maybe because she loves that she got to spend two days alone with daddy while mommy was at work and daddy had work off.