Ever woken up with a stiff neck, unable to turn your head without feeling a sharp pain? You might be dealing with acute cervical torticollis—better known as "wry neck." It sounds serious, but don’t worry! This condition is actually common, and in most cases, it goes away on its own. However, if you want relief fast, chiropractic care can help ease the pain and speed up your recovery.
Let’s break down what causes that annoying neck stiffness and how you can treat it.
What Causes a Stiff Neck (Acute Cervical Torticollis)?
Acute cervical torticollis usually happens when your neck muscles go into a spasm, often caused by something as simple as sleeping in a weird position or spending too much time in one posture (like watching a long movie or working at a computer). This muscle tightness makes it painful to move your neck, and your head might even tilt to one side as your body tries to protect itself from more pain.
Some common triggers include:
Sleeping in an awkward position
Using a fan or sleeping near an open window (exposing your neck to a draft)
Straining your neck with a new workout or activity
Long drives or traveling
While it can be painful and inconvenient, acute torticollis is usually nothing to worry about and can be treated easily.
Simple Tips for Quick Neck Pain Relief
If you’ve woken up with a stiff neck, there are a few things you can do to relieve the pain and loosen up those tight muscles:
Heat or Ice: Apply a heating pad or an ice pack to the sore area. Heat helps relax the muscles, while ice can reduce swelling.
Gentle Stretches: Stretching the muscles is key, but you have to be gentle! Here’s a simple stretch you can try:
Sit down and gently tilt your head to one side, away from the sore area.
Use your hand to add light pressure for a deeper stretch.
Hold for 15-20 seconds and repeat on the other side.
Posture Correction: Check your posture at work or while using your phone. Keeping your neck in a neutral position (head straight, not tilted) can reduce strain.
Chiropractic Care: Chiropractors are experts in treating neck pain. At Move Chiropractic, we use techniques like soft tissue therapy, muscle relaxation, and gentle adjustments to help your neck heal faster.
Chiropractic Treatment for Acute Cervical Torticollis
Although the condition is generally self-limiting, chiropractic care can help speed recovery, reduce pain, and prevent recurrence. The key is to address the underlying muscle and joint dysfunction while providing patients with tools to manage their symptoms at home. Here are some proven treatment options:
Soft Tissue Therapy: Reducing hypertonicity (muscle tightness) in the SCM, trapezius, levator scapulae, and other paraspinal muscles is a critical step in treatment. Techniques like myofascial release, cross-friction, and instrument-assisted soft tissue mobilization (IASTM) can be highly effective.
Stretching and Traction: Traditional neck stretching can be difficult initially due to pain, but a contract-relax traction stretch is often more tolerable. Here’s an effective method:
Stand behind the seated patient, placing your hands on the base of their skull and applying gentle upward traction.
Ask the patient to elevate their shoulders against your resistance for 5-7 seconds, then relax while you increase the stretch.
Repeat this process at least three times, gradually increasing the stretch with each repetition.
Scapular Repositioning: This technique, advocated by some studies, involves scapular retraction to ease tension in the neck. The clinician applies moderate force to encourage scapular retraction while the patient rotates their head toward the symptomatic side. This should be done for three sets of ten repetitions, with a 30-second rest interval between sets.
Spinal Manipulation: When there are no contraindications, chiropractic spinal adjustments can be performed as soon as tolerable. In some cases, light-force or instrument-assisted adjustments may be necessary when manual manipulation is too painful. Gradually, as the patient improves, more aggressive manipulative techniques and stretching can be introduced.
Heat, Ice, and Modalities: Ice, heat, ultrasound, electrical stimulation, and cervical traction can be used to reduce paraspinal muscle spasm and promote relaxation before manipulation or stretching.
How to Prevent a Stiff Neck in the Future
Nobody likes waking up with a sore neck, so here are some tips to prevent it from happening again:
Sleep with Support: Use a good pillow that supports your neck and avoid sleeping on your stomach.
Watch Your Posture: Whether at work or relaxing, keep your head in a neutral position and avoid slouching. Make sure your computer screen is at eye level and take breaks to stretch your neck.
Avoid Drafts: Sleeping under a fan or near an open window might feel nice, but it can also lead to stiff muscles. Consider positioning yourself away from drafts.
Ready for Relief? Contact Us Today!
If you're tired of dealing with neck pain, why not get help from a professional? At Move Chiropractic, we treat neck pain every day to help you get back to your normal life quickly. Schedule online at https://movechironc.janeapp.com/#/crossfit-angierand and let’s get that neck feeling better!
References:
1. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Therapy Management of Congenital Muscular Torticollis. Evidence-Based Care Guideline for Management of Congenital Muscular Torticollis in children age 0 to 36 months. Health Policy & Clinical Effectiveness Program, Guideline 33.
2. Torticollis (Wry Neck Symptoms, Exercises, Treatment, and Prevention). Accessed 4/2013 from: www.emedicinehealth.com/torticollis/page2_em.htm. Link
3. Cerf J. Adult Torticollis. Dynamic Chiropractic Canada. Accessed 4/2013 from: www.chiroweb.com. Link
4. Desai NA, Khatri SM, Agarwal AB. Immediate effect of scapular repositioning with active cervical rotation in acute spasmodic torticollis. Journal of manipulative and physiological therapeutics. 2013 Sep 1;36(7):412-7. Link
5. Brunker P, Kahn K. Clinical Sports Medicine. Sydney: McGraw-Hill Book Co.; 2001, p240.
Comments