Corona del Mar High's John Humphreys (6) hangs on for a first-quarter touchdown catch in spite of the defensive efforts of Downey's Brenden Hodge in the quarterfinals of the CIF Southern Section Division 4 playoffs on Friday. (Christine Cotter)
Torticollis, also known as a crick in the neck, wry neck or loxia, is a dystonic condition defined by an abnormal, asymmetrical head or neck position, which may be due to a variety of causes. The term torticollis is derived from the Latin words tortus for twisted and collum for neck.
What is infant torticollis? Torticollis also called wryneck, is a tightness in the neck muscle (sternocleidomastoid muscle). This neck muscle connects the collarbone (sternum) to the temporal bone of the skull (mastoid). Tightening of this muscle causes the head to tilt to one side. When the condition is present at birth or shortly after birth we call it congenital muscle torticollis. About 1 in 250 babies is born with congenital torticollis. Often torticollis in babies is not diagnosed at birth or in the first months of life.