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Wry Neck

Wry neck, or acute torticollis, is the sudden onset of severe neck pain with the head held to one side and movement sharply blocked. People typically wake with it having been completely fine the night before. It is alarming and genuinely painful, but it is not dangerous, and it settles quickly with the right treatment — often substantially within a few days.

Related reading: the underlying tension it often flares from and stiffness in the neck joints.

What causes it

  • Sleeping in an awkward position, by far the most common trigger
  • A sudden unguarded movement, such as turning quickly to look behind
  • A facet joint catching, with the surrounding muscles then locking it down
  • Cold draughts on a neck already tired or tense
  • In children, occasionally a response to a throat or ear infection

What you might notice

  • Waking with sharp one-sided neck pain, the head held tilted or turned away
  • Movement sharply blocked one way, relatively free the other
  • Strong muscle spasm you can feel as a hard band
  • Pain referring into the shoulder blade or upper back
  • Distress and alarm out of proportion to how serious it actually is

How we treat it

  • Gentle joint mobilisation to free the segment, within what the neck will tolerate
  • Soft tissue release and dry needling for the protective spasm
  • Heat and positions of ease to use at home between sessions
  • Rotation restored gradually as the guarding settles
  • Pillow height and sleep position advice, to reduce the chance of it recurring
  • Most cases improve markedly within three to five days of starting treatment

This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Symptoms overlap between conditions, so the right treatment depends on an assessment. If your pain followed a significant injury, is getting worse, or comes with numbness, weakness or unexplained weight loss, please see your GP.

Locked neck? We keep appointments open for these

Wry neck responds much faster to early treatment than to waiting it out. Call us or book online and we will get you in as soon as we can.

Book an urgent appointment Ask a question first

Or call us on 0403 907 587 — we see patients across Seaton.

Other neck conditions we treat

Cervical Radiculopathy Cervical Osteoarthritis Whiplash Cervicogenic Headache Postural Neck Pain

Back to all neck conditions