Re: Tort ladies- OT - sorry

[Guest guest]

sorry. didn't mean to post twice!

amy

mom to emma (born 9/24/01)

> > e, , Christy and other tort moms,

> > I can so relate to you all, and I can tell you that it will, or

> should, get

> > easier in regards to the tort. When I found out had tort

> at 2

> > months, I cried and cried. Then I got busy! Then I got tired!!

> Stretching

> > is no easy task. As I'm sure your all aware at this point. And

you

> feel so

> > overwhelmed!! Did I stretch enough today? Is he going to be ok?

> Are we

> > really hurting him, or helping him?

> > The therapy ball was a great source of " entertainment " for

,

> we would

> > put him on his tummy, or have him sit up looking at the T.V. and

> roll from

> > side to side so he would " right " his head to midline.

was

> in

> > professional therapy from 3 months to 9 months- 2x a week plus

> everyday

> > stretches and massage from mom and Dad- he was considered severe

and

> also had

> > the lump. The lump was a severe hematoma and finally dissipated

> around 6-7

> > months old. I can also tell you that although he is considered

> " resolved " as

> > the muscle is stretched out, he is almost 15 months and we are

STILL

> having

> > him do stretches, although its mostly making him " right " his head

> (very

> > important to strengthen that opposite muscle to be able to do

this),

> and we

> > still see him tilt his head on occassion- although its not that

> common

> > anymore. The tilt, or I feel the constant tilt, is the last to

go.

> The

> > occassional tilt I was told may be a comfort position, but making

> sure they

> > sit up straight, and correct that posture will help for the long

> run. The

> > more on top of it you are now, the easier it will be in the long

> run- and I

> > know how stressful doing those daily stretches (which usually

makes

> them cry!

> > are. I was told that even when they appear resolved, keep an

eye

> on this

> > (posture, milestones) until 2 years old.

> > I cried myself when FINALLY could lay on his stomach and

> turn his

> > head left- I thought we'd never see that day!! A tip for that

> working for

> > you- we would turn his head when he was sleeping, and sometimes he

> would just

> > wake up, but we still tried as much as possible. I would say its

> not a good

> > idea to force them, but my pt was not " gentle " and would make him

> turn his

> > head that way- the key is to have lots of distractions to make it

> " fun " to

> > look that way. would lay on the mat on his back and I

> would blow

> > bubbles as my pt would turn his head left. We were fortunate that

a

> lot of

> > our stretches were done successfully while he was conked out. Our

> pt showed

> > us relaxation techniques, I would use massage, and then go for it.

> He had no

> > problem after awhile turning to the left when on his back, but on

> his

> > stomach, he couldn't do it for the longest time! I also would lay

> him on me,

> > belly to belly, and kind of have him half to my side and then have

> him turn

> > left, so it wasn't a full rotation to the left. This eased us

into

> it

> > better. I want to stress not to be very " agressive " and twist

that

> neck fast

> > and hard, but keep in mind that you can't be too passive with this

> either, as

> > the muscle is already tight, only time and improper posture will

> make it

> > worse without getting somewhat " aggressive " with those stretches.

> Holding the

> > stretch longer to the left and right helps as well. If you were

to

> think of

> > a relaxing neck exercise, where you rotated your head in each

> direction, back

> > and up, this is essentially what we did as well.

> > Keep the faith, you will be able to see that light at the very end

> of a long

> > tunnel- and I think that was the hardest part- looking for a quick

> fix- some

> > tort is worse than others and takes much longer to resolve- keep

> plugging

> > away. He now has full rotation to the left, and rarely tilts, but

I

> will

> > still tell him " hold your head up straight " and believe it or not,

> this 15

> > month old knows what I'm saying and sometimes listens (poor thing

is

> probably

> > traumatized!!). But I think this is what we HAD to do, and I'm

sure

> he'll

> > thank us later for being very proactive and on top of getting this

> resolved.

> > I will probably always notice a slight degree of tilt when he gets

> tired, or

> > hits growth spurts, but in comparison to where we've come from,

I'll

> take it!

> > Good luck and keep the faith!

> >

> > ' Mom