On Friday morning, my son walked into my room looking distressed.
“Mum, I can’t move my neck.”
Immediately, I noticed that he was holding his head in a guarded position. When I asked him to turn his head to the left, he could barely move it at all. The look on his face made it clear that every attempt was painful.
As both a chiropractor and a mother, seeing your child in pain is never easy.
What Is Acute Torticollis?
Acute torticollis, often referred to as a “wry neck,” is a condition where the muscles of the neck suddenly become tight, painful and restricted, making it difficult to turn or move the head comfortably.
It can happen after:
- Sleeping in an awkward position
- Spending prolonged periods looking down
- Holding the head in one position for too long
- Minor strains or postural stress
- Sometimes, it can even occur without an obvious cause
Thinking back to the previous day, it was school holidays and my son had spent hours lying on the floor playing with Lego, often looking down or positioning himself in awkward ways.
I suspect this may have contributed to the issue.
Looking Beyond The Neck
One of the things I love about chiropractic care is that we don’t simply look at where the pain is.
We ask:
Why is the body compensating in this way?
During his assessment, I found several areas of restriction:
- Sacral and pelvic imbalance
- Mid-thoracic restrictions
- Significant tightness through the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) muscle
- Jaw and cranial tension
- Compensatory tightness through the chest, diaphragm and hip flexors
When the neck becomes painful, the body often enters a protective state.
People tend to breathe differently, guard their movements and tighten surrounding muscles to avoid discomfort.
This can create a cascade of tension throughout the body.
The Jaw, Head and Neck Connection
The muscles around the neck attach into the skull, jaw and collarbone.
Likewise, tension around the jaw and cranium can influence the muscles surrounding the neck and shoulders.
In my son’s case, I found tension patterns involving the jaw and cranial structures that may have been contributing to his symptoms.
Using gentle muscle testing and cranial techniques, we identified imbalances between the right and left sides and worked to release some of these restrictions.
Why Fascia May Also Play A Role
The body is connected through an intricate web of connective tissue known as fascia.
This connective tissue surrounds muscles, organs and other structures throughout the body.
When one area becomes restricted, tension can sometimes be transferred elsewhere, creating compensatory patterns.
This interconnectedness is one reason why we often assess the body as a whole rather than focusing solely on the site of pain.
What Did We Do?
Because his neck was so painful and inflamed, I avoided forceful movements to the area.
Instead, treatment involved:
- Gentle chiropractic adjustments to areas of restriction
- Soft tissue work
- Gentle stretching
- Jaw muscle release techniques
- Cranial balancing
- Assessment of diaphragmatic and hip flexor tension
- Addressing compensatory restrictions through the chest and rib cage
The Changes We Saw
After his first session that morning, he was able to turn his head noticeably further than before.
By later that afternoon, some discomfort had returned, although not to the same degree.
Following a second session that day, his movement improved again.
By Sunday, only two days later, his neck movement was almost back to normal.
Children are incredibly resilient.
A Reminder For Parents
Many children spend hours:
- Looking down at Lego
- Reading
- Gaming
- Using tablets
- Sitting in awkward positions
Sometimes their bodies simply let us know that they’ve been in one position for too long.
If your child wakes up with a sore neck or difficulty turning their head, it’s always important to have them properly assessed, particularly if symptoms are severe, persistent, accompanied by fever, significant trauma, weakness, numbness, or other concerning symptoms.
Sometimes, however, it may simply be one of those situations many of us have experienced ourselves:
You wake up after sleeping funny and suddenly can’t move your neck.
As this experience reminded me once again, the body is wonderfully interconnected, and sometimes supporting the areas surrounding the problem can help restore comfortable movement again.
And perhaps my son has finally learnt Mum’s lesson about posture and spending hours hunched over Lego! 😊
