Neck Pain - What is Acute Torticollis?

Do you experience neck pain or are unable to turn your head after you wake up in the morning? If your answer is yes, you may have acute torticollis.

The neck pain you experience after waking up in the morning is likely caused by joint restrictions in your neck, a condition known as Torticollis, or wry neck. These restrictions likely resulted from unbalanced muscle spasm on one side of your neck. As a result, your body wants to move your neck away from this inflammation in attempt to protect the inflamed area.

Torticollis often starts after sleeping in a prolonged awkward position. Therefore, patients will experience pain and are unable to turn their heads in the morning. Torticollis is also commonly seen in babies.

At C.E.S., our physiotherapists and chiropractors can help with this condition by performing myofascial release to relieve muscle tightness and soft-tissues adhesion. Our chiropractors can provide joint manipulation to restore the “restricted” joints. Different modalities, such as electrotherapy, hot or cold packs are often used in conjunction with manual therapy to reduce pain and improve circulation. Therapeutic exercise such as stretching and strengthening will be prescribed by our exercise therapists to help increase tissue flexibility, build strength, ease pain, and to prevent re-injury.

If you have any questions regarding torticollis, please feel free to comment below or send us a message on social media @cesphysiorehab.

Disclaimer

The post is not supposed to replace any medical advice. If you are experiencing torticollis or any neck pain, please consult a therapist as soon as possible. You may contact us or make an appointment at 905-771-8882 or info@cesphysiorehab.com, we are more than happy to help!