Neck examination for neonates

Touch the neonate’s neck with your hand and check for lumps, tumors, and tilt of the neck to one side. If there is a tumor, the neck of the newborn will tilt to one side. Cervical tilt may also be caused by congenital cervical oblique disease.

Treatment of neck masses

Neonatal cervical masses are usually caused by enlarged lymph nodes or by distraction injuries of the sternocleidomastoid muscle on one side of the baby due to dystocia during childbirth. Due to injury caused by local blood circulation disorders, the side of the muscle swelling, degeneration, atrophy, fibrosis, muscle loss of elasticity, will limit the normal activities of the neck, there is a torticollis. The child is restricted to one side of the capsule.

Newborn babies should be treated early if they have neck masses. Generally, after 2 weeks of birth, if a neck mass is found, the patient can lie on his back, the mandible and the occiput to the affected side, with small sandbags or cotton pillows to fix the child’s head. Daily hot compress part, promote absorption of hematoma, gently massage local, promote muscle recovery elasticity. When children are slightly older, massage can be used to correct them. The shoulders of the children were fixed, the head was pulled by hand, the cheek turned to the affected side, the head to the healthy side, so that the affected side of the sternocleidomastoid muscle tension and elongation. 3~4 times a day, 100~150 times a day and 3~6 months, you can straighten the torticollis.

If the infant has been more than six months, sternocleidomastoid muscle has been sclerosis, at this time can be corrected by surgery, the lesion of muscle mass cut off. This kind of operation generally does not cause much damage. After operation, the patient’s head should still be fixed in the position deviating from the healthy side. After about a week, the head can be fixed in the position deviating from the healthy side with head and neck straps. After about one month, the patient can move normally.

Neck tilt handling method

1. Physiological torticollis: without treatment, it can return to normal itself. Parents can give babies gentle massage, which can help restore.

2. Muscular torticollis: 80% of the muscular torticollis can be cured by physical therapy such as functional exercise, mainly using the way of tension, so that the baby’s head to the healthy side of the tilt, gradually open the contracture of sternocleidomastoid muscle. 20% to 1 years of age, no improvement can be corrected by surgery.

3. Osteogenic torticollis: according to the degree of bone joint deformation, decide whether to receive rehabilitation therapy. Some infants with unstable cervical spine are prone to damage the cervical nerve if they are given rehabilitation treatment.

4. Neurogenic torticollis: Neurogenic torticollis or infection caused by torticollis, you can first use drug treatment, if the effect is not good, you must consider surgical treatment.