What Is Wry Neck and How Is It Treated?

Wryneck is a condition that is felt through pain in the neck area. People who have this condition, have the top of the head tilted to one side while the chin is tilted to the other side. Not only will the neck be tilted abnormally, but it will also be twisted in a very painful way. It is a condition that may even be present from birth, or that may be caused due to a trauma to the muscles of the neck or an injury that interferes with the blood supply in this area.

In some milder cases, this condition can go away on its own without any treatment. However, in these cases, it is also very likely to come back after a certain period of time. Those, who keep getting this condition, will soon become chronic patients of wryneck. Once the disease becomes chronic, continuing with daily activities will be difficult, not only because of the decreased mobility but also because of the intensive pain. There are different treatment options for wryneck, which at first help fight the symptoms and improve the quality of your day-to-day life. These treatment options include medication and physical therapy. In some more severe cases, surgery might be needed.  

What causes a wry neck?  
As mentioned before, wryneck is a condition that can be present at birth. In some cases, it is inherited and therefore if someone in your family has had it, your chances are increased to get this condition at some point in your life too. Sometimes, wryneck develops during pregnancy, if the position of the fetus is not right. When the head remains in a wrong position, the blood supply to the neck is not provided as it should be, leading to in some cases, wryneck.

Having a trauma to the nerves or muscles of the neck can lead to an increased chance of getting this condition too. Apart from these causes, there is also one known as idiopathic torticollis. Torticollis is another term for wryneck, while idiopathic means that the cause behind it is simply unknown.  

There are several types of wry neck. Some mild types go away on their own after a couple of days. These are cases, in which wry neck has occurred due to a cold, an ear infection, a lymph node that is swollen or a mild injury to the head or the neck that has caused for that area to swell.  

Another type of wry neck is a fixed or permanent one. This type occurs in people who have a problem with the structure of the muscles or the bone. The most common type is the muscular wry neck. It happens due to scarring or tightening of the muscles on one side of the neck.  

A very rare type of wry neck is one known as the Klippel-Feil syndrome. This one happens when the bones develop abnormally during pregnancy. In these cases, two vertebrae of the neck are fused together, causing the neck to be incorrect from birth. Children who are born with this structure of the neck may also develop difficulties hearing and seeing.  

Another rare type of wry neck is the cervical dystonia. Cervical dystonia leads to the muscles of the neck to constantly contract in spasms. This will lead to the head to twist and turn in one side. In some cases, it can also tilt forward or backward. It is a condition that can affect all ages but is more common in people between 40 and 60 years old, and between the two genders, it happens more commonly to women than men.  

What are the symptoms of the wry neck?  
When you get wryneck, the symptoms will start to appear slowly. At first, they may be mild to none, while worsening with time. The most common symptom is the inability to move your head and neck the way that you used to. Your neck will feel stiff and it will hurt. Due to this, you are likely to get a headache. The neck muscles will be swollen, while one shoulder will be higher than the other one. The chin will start to tilt in one side. If it occurs in the early stages of life, the wryneck can cause difficulties seeing or hearing, and lead to delays in the motor skills of the children. Their faces may appear to be unbalanced and rather flattened.  

How to treat wry neck?  
Treating wry neck mainly focuses on relieving the symptoms such as neck pain, making it more possible for you to regain the normal position of the head, chin, and neck. It is important, to begin treatment as soon as possible, as it is believed that the sooner you begin with therapy, the better the outcome will be. Although there is no known way to prevent this disease from occurring, there are many ways that can help you get rid of it quickly. Some treatment options include applying heat to the area that is hurting, massaging this area, stretching exercises, physical therapy, chiropractic care or wearing neck braces or a traction.

There are also some medications that can help you such as over-the-counter pain relievers or, in cases of severe pain, prescribed pain medications. Muscle relaxants are also very helpful, as well as botulinum toxin injections. These injections would need to be repeated every few months, for a lasting result. Other medications that are also used in cases of the wryneck are the same ones used against the tremors of those who have Parkinson´s disease.  

If your symptoms of the condition are severe, your doctor might need to recommend surgery, to get everything back to normal. These surgeries are done to either lengthen the neck muscles, fuse vertebrae that are abnormal, cut nerves or muscles where necessary, or to use deep brain stimulation to interrupt the nerve signals. This last option is used only in very severe cases of cervical dystonia. Upon noticing symptoms, visit a doctor as soon as possible to discuss treatment options.