Range of Motion Exercise #3

Due to Kellyn's right torticollis, she has limited range of motion turning her head towards her right side.  This exercise will help increase her range of motion looking towards her right.  I like this exercise because I could sometimes get away with Kellyn not even realizing we're doing a torticollis exercise.   When babies are young, they often get pretty captivated by an interesting toy.  And since young babies are often too young to crawl, they can be pretty content just staying in one place and looking at something interesting.  Unfortunately, by the time your baby is mobile, this exercise may become near impossible to do since baby is unlikely to stay in one place for you.  I am including both a video demonstration and a written explanation of this exercise.

Video Tutorial:





Step-by-Step Written Instructions:

1.  Lay baby on tummy and place toy to her right side.  You want baby to have to rotate head to right to look at toy.

2.  If baby tries to "cheat" and rotate left shoulder to see the toy, you can gently stabilize that left shoulder down to prevent it from turning.

Kellyn looking at a toy on the side that has a limited range of motion.

3.  Encourage baby to maintain this neck rotation for thirty seconds.

Note: Babies with left torticollis and limited range of motion looking towards their left side would be doing this exercise looking to their left side.  If you would like to try out an alternative range of motion exercise, here is another simple one.

Disclaimer: I am not a physical therapist or medical professional.  This post and/or video does not serve as a substitution for medical treatment.  If you wish to do any of these physical therapy exercises on your own child, you should first seek approval from your child's physical therapist.  Click here for full disclaimer.