, ,

Acute Wry Neck

, ,

Neck pain is one of the world’s most common musculoskeletal conditions, with any pain in the neck lasting 6 weeks or fewer categorised as ‘acute’ neck pain. Around two-thirds of the population will experience neck pain at a given point in their life (Vos, C, 2007).

Acute wry neck (or acute torticollis) is a painful neck linked to muscle spasm, joint stiffness, and pain with movement of the head and neck. The cause may not always be known but there is a strong connection to sleeping in an abnormal position without proper head and neck support, inappropriate seating, poor posture while at a desk, or carrying heavy unbalanced loads.

Symptoms may resolve themselves within 7 days to 2 months, but low grade pain may linger for up to a year. Recurrence of acute pain symptoms is very common.

What Are The Risk Factors?

  • People aged 35-49 years old

  • Occupations such as office workers

  • Sleeping disorders

  • Depression or anxiety

  • A previous history of neck pain

  • Women are more prone to neck pain than men

  • Sedentary lifestyles

  • Smoking

  • Being overweight or obese

How Can You Manage Your Neck Symptoms

There are a number of things you can do at home, such as:

  • Take analgesics such as ibuprofen and paracetamol

  • Thermal therapies

    • Heat pack (hot water bottle wrapped in a tea towel or a wheat bag placed on neck for up to 20 minutes)

    • Ice pack (a packet of frozen food wrapped in a tea towel or a cold pack placed on the neck for up to 10 minutes)

  • Check your pillow to make sure that your head and neck are well supported while sleeping

  • Avoid sleeping on your belly

  • Avoid using a rigid neck brace, you want to keep your head and neck mobile

  • Take caution while driving a car or riding a bike as performing head checks may aggravate your symptoms

If your pain persists despite medication and advised actions, it is important your consult with your GP or healthcare professional.

Are There Any Exercises I Can Try On Day One?

There are no ‘magic bullet’ exercises to fix all neck problems, typically gentle movements to help restore your normal range can help. Here are some simple exercises that might help you move a little better, sooner.

  • Gentle exercises for day one

    • Chin tucks

    • Supine (laying on your back with the head supported) neck rotation

    • Shoulder rolls

    • Gently massaging the muscles around your neck

  • Follow up exercises

    • PNF (Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation) neck side flexion stretches

    • Flexion-rotation neck stretches

How Richmond Rehab Can Help

While there is a good chance your neck pain may resolve on its own, there are still viable treatment options that can be provided by the staff at Richmond Rehab, such as:.

  • Screening your condition to make sure your symptoms are typical of Wry Neck, and referring you for further investigation where/ if appropriate

  • Soft Tissue Therapy to help ease muscular tension and pain

  • Spinal Mobilisation to restore restricted joints and improve your neck function

  • Exercise Therapy designed to restore movement in your neck, restore strength and help reduce the likelihood of recurrence

  • Education regarding what you can do to help manage your pain as symptoms ease with time

References

Blanpied, P. R., Gross, A. R., Elliott, J. M., Devaney, L. L., Clewley, D., Walton, D. M., ... & Torburn, L. (2017). Neck pain: revision 2017: clinical practice guidelines linked to the international classification of functioning, disability and health from the orthopaedic section of the American Physical Therapy Association. Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 47(7), A1-A83.

Brukner, P., & Khan, K. (2012). Clinical Sports Medicine, 4th Edition

Cohen, S. P. (2015, February). Epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of neck pain. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 90, No. 2, pp. 284-299). Elsevier.

Cohen, S. P., & Hooten, W. M. (2017). Advances in the diagnosis and management of neck pain. Bmj, 358.

Groeneweg, R., van Assen, L., Kropman, H., Leopold, H., Mulder, J., Smits-Engelsman, B. C., ... & van Tulder, M. W. (2017). Manual therapy compared with physical therapy in patients with non-specific neck pain: a randomized controlled trial. Chiropractic & manual therapies, 25(1), 1-12.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, September 2018, “Neck Pain - Acute Torticollis”, Retrieved February 3rd, 2021, from https://cks.nice.org.uk/topics/neck-pain-acute-torticollis

NHS UK, 19th May, 2020, “Neck Pain”, Retrieved February 3rd, 2021, from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/neck-pain-and-stiff-neck/

Vos, C., Verhagen, A., Passchier, J., & Koes, B. (2007). Management of acute neck pain in general practice: a prospective study. British journal of general practice, 57(534), 23-28.