It’s a typical sight. I pull up to my office on a Saturday morning and find someone waiting at the front door with their head all bent over to one side and it’s too painful to straighten out. It’s something they woke up with. They can’t really remember doing anything that would cause it. And for some reason it seems to happen on the weekend more than any other time.
This is usually something we call Cervical (neck) Torticollis (literally translated means turtle neck). It is usually the result of sleeping for an extended period where the head and neck are maintained in an awkward or compromised position. Muscles spasm due to being overly stretched, or a spinal bone may be subluxated (the bone locks in or out of position among other things) and the surrounding muscles spasm as a result. I’ve also seen this as a result of a variety of athletic injuries. For whichever reason, it’s painful to move the neck.
This condition responds well to chiropractic care and usually doesn’t require much treatment to get someone feeling much better, but a thorough exam is needed. Treatment could include the following:
- Traction
- Ice or Heat Therapy
- Gentle Manipulation of the Spine
- Electrotherapy applied to the Neck Muscles
Occasionally I recommend that the patient wear a support or collar if they are having difficulty holding up their head. Most of the time it’s not necessary.
So if you wake up on the weekend, or any other time, with a neck so painful and stiff that it won’t straighten out, chiropractic care may be the option of choice.
