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The effect of postural control intervention for congenital muscular torticollis: a randomized controlled trial
1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Keimyung University, Dongsan Hospital, Daegu, Korea einhee@email.com.
Insights
Manual stretching and postural control intervention show similar effectiveness for congenital muscular torticollis. Early treatment initiation in infants with congenital muscular torticollis is key to reducing treatment duration.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Rehabilitation
- Neonatal Physical Therapy
Background:
- Congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) is a common condition in infants.
- Effective treatment strategies are crucial for optimal infant development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare manual stretching and postural control intervention for CMT.
- To identify predictors of treatment duration in infants with CMT.
Main Methods:
- Randomized controlled trial involving infants under 6 months with CMT.
- Interventions included postural control or manual stretching.
- Measured sternocleidomastoid tumor thickness, head/facial asymmetry, head tilt, and treatment duration.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in treatment duration or sternocleidomastoid tumor thickness change between groups.
- Early treatment initiation, facial asymmetry, tumor thickness, and head tilt predicted treatment duration.
- Regression model explained 57.4% of the variance in treatment duration.
Conclusions:
- Manual stretching and postural control intervention are equally effective for CMT.
- Earlier treatment commencement in infants with CMT leads to shorter treatment durations.
Objective:
To compare the effects of manual stretching and postural control intervention in infants with congenital muscular torticollis and to investigate the factors that predict treatment duration.
Design:
Randomized, controlled trial.
Setting:
An outpatient rehabilitation clinic in a tertiary university hospital.
Subjects:
Infants <6 months of age with congenital muscular torticollis.
Intervention:
Group 1 included 38 infants who received postural control intervention. Group 2 included 38 infants who received manual stretching.
Main Measures:
The thickness of the sternocleidomastoid tumor, rear head and facial asymmetry, and head tilt were variables measured before and after treatment. Additionally, the treatment duration was measured.
Results:
The mean treatment duration was 92.53 ± 34.38 days for group 1 and 88.21 ± 37.23 days for group 2. The mean change of thickness of the sternocleidomastoid tumor was 6.88 ± 1.90 mm for group 1 and 6.05 ± 2.85 mm for group 2. There were no statistically significant differences in the mean treatment duration and the mean change of thickness of the sternocleidomastoid tumor between the groups (P > 0.05). The first treatment day after birth was associated with the treatment duration. In addition, facial asymmetry, the first treatment day, tumor thickness, and head tilt were associated with the treatment duration (P < 0.05). This regression model had a 57.4% explanatory power.
Conclusions:
There was no difference between these treatments regarding the treatment duration and the change of thickness of the sternocleidomastoid tumor. Infants with congenital muscular torticollis who were treated earlier had a shorter treatment length.
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