Wry Neck (Torticollis): How To Fix It Once For All?

There is no worse way to start the day than with a wry neck. Wry neck is a common term used to describe a painful neck that limits the way you can move. Medically speaking, we call the same presentation acute torticollis.
At my Myotherapy clinic in Coburg, Melbourne Massage and Treatment, I get to hear clients often telling me:

“This has happened on and off for years.”

And this is the first piece of the clinical history that tells me we’re probably not dealing with a simple muscle spasm, and that’s where we start looking for why the neck keeps becoming irritated in the first place.

Wry Neck Is Often Acute on Chronic

The first misconception we need to clear away is that wry neck comes out of nowhere.

The reality of the fact is that many people have developed underlying dysfunction over months or years. Therefore, the neck has been compensating until one day something relatively small, sleeping awkwardly, reaching for something, reversing the car or even sneezing, is enough to trigger the painful episode.

The acute pain is simply the last straw that broke the camel’s back.

So the million-dollar question is:

Why did your neck become vulnerable in the first place?

That’s where an initial consultation is important, and that’s why I spend my time investigating during an assessment.

A Previous Whiplash Injury Could Still Be Affecting You

A common overlooked cause for wry neck that I get to see here at my clinic is a previous whiplash injury.

Indeed, while someone may recover fine from this type of incident, others develop subtle changes in how their neck moves and how the muscles coordinate movement. So yes, it can be either a physical strain or irritation of the ligaments, or even neurodegeneration at the muscle level. That’s why, even years later, the body may continue protecting certain joints while overloading others.

Research by Woodhouse and Vasseljen (2008) has shown that people with chronic whiplash often demonstrate altered cervical motor control, reduced movement quality and persistent dysfunction long after the original injury.

That’s why, if you’ve ever had a rear-end collision, even if it happened ten years ago, even if it was due to a contact sport injury, it’s worth mentioning during your assessment, as it is an important piece of information.

Hypermobility Can Also Play a Role

Another presentation that I come across in my clinic, for people who suffer from wry neck, is hypermobility.

Indeed, being flexible isn’t always an advantage.

This is because if some joints move excessively, your muscles have to work much harder to provide stability. Over time, these muscles become overworked and fatigued, especially around the neck and upper back, which is an area where muscles already work hard most of the time, as they have to ensure we can stay straight while we stand or sit.

When stability can’t keep up with mobility, the body often responds by developing muscle guarding.

That’s when the neck suddenly “locks.”

On the other hand, the lack of stability also creates an overload of joints, which may get easily irritated, and then initiate the pain response.

Your Neck Doesn’t Work Alone

Another important thing to be aware of is that we should stop focusing only on where the pain is, as the source of the problem.

In fact, the cervical spine is part of a much larger movement system.

So, poor movement through the upper back, reduced thoracic mobility, rib restrictions, shoulder dysfunction or altered control through the lower spine can all change the workload placed on the neck. And this is a long time game, not something that happen in one night of bad sleep.

A way to conceptualise this is:

If one link in a chain doesn’t move well, another link has to move more than it should, and eventually that overloaded area becomes painful.

That’s why my assessment as a myotherapist doesn’t stop at your neck.

I look at how your entire spine works together.

The goal is to improve the balance between mobility, where mobility is needed, and stability, where stability is required. And this can only be done and maintained via exercises.

Can a Better Pillow Fix a Wry Neck?

I did already dedicate a full blog post about the pillow topic, but it is worth it to touch base about it even here, as this is probably one of the most common questions I get when talking about wry neck.

A supportive pillow can certainly help reduce stress on your neck while you sleep; however, a pillow doesn’t:

• Change how your joints move.
• Improve muscular control.
• Restore stability.
• Correct movement patterns that have developed over the years.

Therefore, think of a good pillow as something that is improving the environment rather than fixing the cause.

If the underlying issue is poor movement control or spinal dysfunction, changing pillows alone usually won’t stop the episodes from returning, and it can end up being an expensive search.

Your Workstation Might Be Causing the Problem

Another issue that I get to see mostly with office workers is for those who work with multiple screens, like two or even three computer screens.

This setup becomes a problem when the main screen isn’t positioned directly in front of you, and you end up spending eight or more hours each day with your head slightly rotated toward one side or the other.

Now, try to think about what that means for your joints and muscles on that side.

Until you repeat that position every day for months or years.

The muscles on one side of the neck become overloaded because they are constantly contracted, while the muscles on the other side are constantly stretched.

One of the simplest changes you can make is ensuring your primary monitor sits directly in front of your body, or if that’s not an option, then make sure to swap your screen software-wise.

So you end up having even days looking at right, and uneven days, looking to the left.

So, How Do We Treat Wry Neck?

Let’s start with the fact that every patient is different; therefore, treatment shouldn’t simply focus on releasing a tight muscle.

At Melbourne Massage and Treatment, my assessment looks at:

• Your previous injury history, including whiplash
• Joint mobility throughout the spine
• Areas that are excessively mobile (hypermobility)
• Areas that lack movement
• Muscle control and stability
• Workstation ergonomics
• Lifestyle habits that continue to irritate the neck

Treatment may include Myotherapy, hands-on therapy, joint mobilisation, soft tissue techniques, dry needling (when appropriate), corrective exercises and practical advice to improve long-term outcomes.

Our aim as a short-term goal is to reduce your pain on the spot, and as a long-term goal, is to stop the recurrence of the wry neck

Book a Myotherapy treatment for Wry Neck

I Did Stretch My Wry Neck, And Now It Feels Worse

Oh yes, that’s not just you.

Stretching has its place in terms of physical activity; it can be a decent way to start your day and get moving before an intense physical activity, but it is not what you should do for a wry neck.

Stretching your wry neck, it may feels good while you do it, but what actually is happening, you are forcing tissue that don’t want to move as much to get in position that in first place they could not. Therefore, that could trigger your central nervous system to generate more pain and keep you in the loop.

Here is a blog that I wrote a while ago about neck strengthening exercises that I would suggest you read to understand which exercises would work best to strengthen your neck.

And to start with, especially in the acute phase of your wry neck episode (first 72 h), I would look into isometric neck exercises.

Final Thoughts

If it is the first time you’ve experienced one episode of wry neck, that’s unfortunate. Keep an eye on it, use a heat pack for 10/15 minutes twice a day, and if in 3 days it doesn’t get better, then it’s worth having a look at it.

On the other hand, if you keep experiencing wry neck episodes over the years, your body is trying to tell you something, and we’d better start working on it soon.

And when I say working on it, I don’t just talk about doing a massage, in the hope you feel better, but it’s worth identifying why your neck keeps reaching its breaking point, and changing the habit.

If you’re looking for wry neck treatment in Coburg, Myotherapy for neck pain, or a comprehensive assessment of recurring neck stiffness, I’d be happy to help you get to the root cause, not just temporarily relieve the pain.

FAQ’s Wry Neck – Myotherapy Treatment Coburg