Factors Affecting Rehabilitation Outcome of Congenital Muscular Torticollis

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To explore the factors affecting rehabilitation outcome of congenital muscular torticollis (CMT) patients and suggest the onset time, method and the duration of the rehabilitation treatment. METHOD: 112 patients diagnosed as CMT were enrolled and we reviewed the patients' charts and radiologic findings, retrospectively. We reviewed the sex, gestational age, birth weight, mode of delivery, age at diagnosis, mass thickness, ratio of mass thickness, mass site, plagiocephaly, clavicle fracture, the frequency of rehabilitation treatment. RESULTS: The patients with a plagiocephaly or a clavicle fracture had been needed significantly longer rehabilitation and ratio of mass thickness and rehabilitative duration had a positive linear relationship and diagnostic time and the duration of rehabilitative treatment showed a positive correlation. However, rehabilitation frequency did not equate to a shorter rehabilitation period and mass site did not correlate with the duration of rehabilitation treatment. Also, the group treated with manipulation with additional ultrasound treatment showed no significant difference to the group treated with only manipulation. In this study, 2 patients received surgical treatment, which was SCM tenotomy of the affected side in conjunction with rehabilitation therapy. CONCLUSION: This study showed that plagiocephaly, clavicle fracture, mass ratio, and diagnosis time are clinically significant in determining rehabilitative treatment. So, it is imperative to make a timely diagnosis and objectively evaluate the tilting of the head and neck, as well as checking the mass ratio and identifying the presence of clavicle fractures.