Chinese medicine techniques for pediatric oblique neck

  Pediatric oblique neck, also known as congenital myotonic neck, is a deformity in which the sternocleidomastoid muscle is fibrously contracted on one side and the neck is skewed to one side. The main causes are birth injury, improper breastfeeding posture, infection inside and outside the womb, genetics, and abnormalities of the eye muscles.  It is common for infants to have a mass on one side of the sternocleidomastoid muscle after birth, which many parents usually tend to ignore. As the child grows older, the sternocleidomastoid muscle on the affected side becomes fibrous and shortened in the shape of a strip, pulling the occipital area toward the affected jaw, while the face turns to the healthy side, the healthy side of the face becomes full and the affected side becomes smaller, leading to cervical lateral convexity deformity in severe cases.  We use Chinese medicine treatment for infants after birth and under half a year of age. At this age, it is difficult to predict whether the mass in the sternocleidomastoid muscle will disappear on its own, so TCM manipulation should be actively used to promote early absorption of the hematoma and prevent muscle fiber contracture. As age increases, manipulation is difficult to correct and surgical treatment is generally adopted, with the disadvantage of being damaging and easy to leave scars.  Treatment methods for pediatric oblique neck 1.massage The doctor repeatedly massages the neck mass, gently twisting, dispersing, stroking, and smooth, in order to activate blood, reduce swelling, disperse knots, and antispasmodic, and promote the absorption of the mass, and at the same time, the child’s head and neck will be squared, and generally the sternocleidomastoid muscle with mild to moderate contracture can be gradually stretched, and the head and neck posture will return to normal. Each time 15 minutes, 1-2 times a day.  2.Soft bag fixation When the infant sleeps on his back, the parents make his face face to the affected side, the occiput to the healthy side, fixed with a soft bag to assist in correction.  3, parental assistance According to the different lesions of the child, parents should pay attention to choose their own position that is most conducive to the correction of the child when feeding and sleeping.