The effect of postural control intervention for congenital muscular torticollis: A randomized controlled trial

InHee Lee

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.