Have you ever gone to bed perfectly fine and woken up the next morning with a stiff, painful neck where your head stays tilted to one side? Sometimes the pain can be so acute that just lifting your head from your pillow is strenuous, and once you are up you cannot turn your head to one side. You might be experiencing a torticollis or what is more commonly called a wry neck. It can be quite a disabling and painful experience but there are solutions to get to the bottom of the problem.
Typically, torticollis involves a tilt of the head, reduced ranges of motion of the neck and painful muscle spasms in the neck and upper back area. This condition is mainly an involuntary contraction of a muscle causing the head to turn to one side. It can happen in adulthood but we also see it in childhood. It is also a condition that can reoccur regularly and it is not normal.
Torticollis often happens after spending the night in the wrong position, like sleeping on your stomach or with too many pillows. It also happens from injury or after strenuous efforts which involve sustained or repetitive movements or after stretching yourself out too far. Bad posture at home, at work or at the computer all add up to the build up of muscle tension.
Another important factor that is not to be neglected is stress. We all go through episodes of stress where, despite an effort to relax, the body stays tensed up. The shoulders shrug up and muscle tension builds up in the neck and upper back area.
Children also suffer from this condition. Some babies are born with a congenital torticollis. The baby holds his/her head tilted to one side and may show difficulties in breastfeeding on one side. Although it looks uncomfortable, the baby usually does not suffer from pain related to this mal-position.
Even though we do not know the precise cause of torticollis, it is believed to be caused by a wrong posture in the uterus or by the birth process. It is important to resolve this problem as soon as possible after birth since it can create an asymmetry in facial features when the child grows with this imbalance.
Older children can develop a torticollis like an adult does after a wrong motion or a bad posture. It is a painful condition for them and it often happens while the child has a bad cold, an ear infection or after practicing a sport where a lot of jumping is involved like trampoline or gymnastics.
Torticollis is not a diagnosis in itself but more like a sign for an underlying condition. Whether it is from birth or it happens later in life, torticollis is often accompanied by a misalignment of the cervical and/or thoracic vertebrae. It is important to look at that underlying cause in the spine, rather than just the muscular contraction alone for proper correction and long time results.
Chiropractic care provides great success in helping patients of all ages that suffer from torticollis. It produces excellent results with those suffering from neck pain and it is done naturally, without drugs or surgery.
A study conducted in Spain and reported in the September 2006 Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found that cervical chiropractic adjustments were more effective in reducing cervical pain and increasing range of motion than any other type of manual mobilisation procedure.
Neck pain can be so mild that it is merely annoying and distracting. Or it can be so severe that it is unbearable and incapacitating. If the sensations of discomfort, stiffness or soreness last more than a day or so, it is more serious and less likely to disappear on its own. In either case, see a chiropractor and have a proper spinal check up. Your whole body will work better by having your nervous system free of interference. That is the essence of chiropractic care and is designed for you and your family.
By Sandra Genest-Boudreau | Christophe O. Alves
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Sandra Genest-Boudreau is French-Canadian, who graduated from the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College in 1990 before coming to the Algarve in 2002. She is passionate about adjusting all her patients, particularly children. Christophe Alves graduated from the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic (AECC) UK, and has a special interest in Sport Chiropractic.
Algarve Quiroprática clinic: EN125 in Pêra | 282 312 853 | 969 397 375
