Neck pain is a pretty commonplace daily complaint in my office.\u00a0 We see all kinds of neck pain from whiplash to herniated cervical discs. But today’s topic is for that special kind that makes it hard to turn your head to one side and look over your shoulder.\u00a0 Some people call it wry neck or\u00a0torticollis.\u00a0 Others call it ‘wtf?!?! why can’t I turn my neck?<\/p>\n
Ok so what is wry neck\/torticollis?<\/p>\n
Ever wake up in the morning with pain in the neck and\/or near the shoulder blade on one side?\u00a0 Not able to turn your head to one side? Ya, that’s the one I’m talking about there.\u00a0 It is often a problem actually in the upper back and rib cage which irritates one of the muscles that goes up from the shoulder blade to the neck and base of the skull.\u00a0 Although the pain feels as though it originates in the neck, it really usually starts in the upper back. So, most of the time people get treatment for their neck alone and nothing helps…<\/p>\n
We always treat both the upper back and the neck to resolve this problem and keep it gone.\u00a0 Then we like to do postural re training so we can have a chance of keeping it gone for good. This type of thing is sometimes from sleeping awkwardly and it is important to change your pillow if it\u00a0has\u00a0happened frequently.\u00a0 Especially if you notice that it seems to happen after sleeping.<\/p>\n
Here are some stretches that can help- that said you really should seek treatment if you have pain.\u00a0 Pain is the body’s warning signal that something isn’t quite right… so do something about it!<\/p>\n