Responsible adults know that it is important to support a newborn's wobbly head. However,

in about two percent of infants, that particular trait is symptomatic of a

bigger problem. Congenital muscular torticollis (CMT), or ‘fixed wryneck', is a

condition where the infant's neck is twisted or bent and the head tilts

abnormally to one side.

CMT results from shortened or excessive contraction of the sternocleidomastoid

muscle in the neck. The involuntary muscle movement causes the baby's head to

tilt to one side. This problem can be caused by a variety of factors, including

the fetal position inutero, insufficient amniotic fluid, prenatal muscle

injury, lack of space inutero, or birth trauma. None of these causes is

preventable, so parents should be assured that they have not caused the problem

for their baby.

The frank breech birthing position is the most common contributor to CMT, with

about 34 percent of these breech birth infants affected. The extension of the

knees and cervical spine are believed to cause the sternocleidomastoid muscle

to stretch during the delivery.

The

tilt of the baby's head can go unnoticed for a newborn, so CMT often goes

undiagnosed until the infant is a few months old. During this time, the

condition can be exacerbated by the infant's sleeping position. Because so many

babies are now lying on their backs to protect them from Sudden Infant Death

Syndrome, the baby's neck and upper back muscles do not receive as much

stretching as the tummy position affords.