In order to cure the torticollus, by eliminating the pain in the neck and being able to move the head freely, it is necessary to combat the involuntary contraction of the muscles of the neck.
Mild torticollis can be relieved only by using warm compress and gentle neck massage, but when the torticollis is more severe and the limitation for turning the neck to the side is great, some specific techniques may be used.
An excellent home treatment is to follow these steps:
1. Tilt the body forward
Simply pull your legs apart and lean your body forward, leaving your head hanging. The goal is for the head and arms to be loose, and you should stay in that position for about 2 minutes. This will cause the weight of the head to act as a pendulum, which will increase the space between the cervical vertebrae and decrease the spasm of the neck muscles.
It is possible to move the head with small movements to one side or the other, just to make sure that the muscles of the shoulders and the neck are relaxed.
2. Press the muscles
This technique consists of pressing with the thumb the part of the middle of the muscle that is sore for 30 seconds. Next you have to press the part where the muscle begins, in the nape of the neck, for another 30 seconds. During this part of the treatment you can be standing or sitting and with your head facing forward.
3. Physiotherapy
It is necessary to lengthen the neck and to be able to do this one must use a technique called muscular energy. This involves placing the hand (on the side of the torticollis) on the head and making force by pushing the head against the hand. Hold this force for 5 seconds and relax, resting for another 5 seconds. Repeat this exercise 4 more times. At the slightest, the range of motion will increase.
This video tells you exactly how this exercise can be done:
If after the exercise is finished there is still movement limitation you can make the movement to the opposite side. This means that if the pain is on the right side you should put your left hand on the head and make force with the head to push the hand. Hold this force without taking your head off for 5 seconds and then rest for another 5 seconds. It will then stretch the muscle to the left side, which is what is affected.
4. Massage and compress
Massaging the neck using sweet almond oil or some moisturizer is also a good way to decrease pain and discomfort. The massage should be performed on the shoulders, neck, neck and head, but should only be performed in the final part of the treatment, after having performed the exercises and techniques previously indicated.
The massage should not be performed very strongly, but you can press your palm a little on the muscles of the neck, from the shoulders towards the ears. Small silicone cups that form a vacuum inside can also be used with little pressure to increase blood supply and help loosen the muscle fibers.
Finally, a warm compress can be placed on the neck, letting it act for about 20 minutes.
5. Remedies for torticollis
Medications for torticollis should only be used after doctor's advice and usually include anti-inflammatory ointments such as Cataflan, muscle relaxants, or anti-spasmodic medicines such as Ana-flex, Torsilax, Coltrax or Mioflax, for example. Applying a patch like Salompas is also a good strategy to cure the torticoll more quickly. Learn about other medicines you can use to treat torticollis.
These remedies are also recommended for individuals with spasmodic torticollis, which is a type of torticollis that recurrently occurs in several members of the same family.
When to go to the doctor
Usually the torticollis improves after the first 24 hours, and tends to last from 3 days to 5 days. Therefore, if the torticollus takes more than 1 week to heal, or if symptoms such as tingling, loss of strength in the arm, difficulty in breathing or swallowing, fever or if you can not control urine or stool, you should seek medical help.
What is torticolo?
The torticollis is an involuntary contraction of the neck muscles caused by poor posture when sleeping or when using the computer, for example, causing pain in the side of the neck and difficulty to move the head. It is common for the person to wake up with torticollis and have difficulty moving the neck, but in some cases the muscle gets so trapped that the person can not move the neck to either side and can walk like a 'robot', for example.
An intense contracture in the middle of the back can also be confused with 'torticollis', but this classification is not certain because the torticollus only happens in the muscles of the neck, therefore, there is no torticollis in the middle of the back. In this case, it is a contraction of the muscles in the middle of the back that can also be treated with pills in the form of tablets, salves, salompas, in addition to hot stretches and compresses.
Symptoms of torticollis
The symptoms of torticollis include, mainly, neck pain and limitation to move the head. In addition, it may also happen that one shoulder is higher than the other, or that the face is asymmetrical, with the top of the head to one side and the chin to the other.
It is common for the symptoms of torticollus to appear in the morning due to poor head position when sleeping, but also often happens after going to the gym due to exaggerated exertion in the neck, when doing abdominal crunches incorrectly due to significant and sudden differences in temperature, or an accident, for example.
In addition, some babies are already born with torticollis and therefore may not turn their heads to one side, although they do not show any symptoms of pain. In this case, it is a situation called congenital torticollis. If your child was born with torticollis, read: Congenital torticollis.
How long does the torticoll
Usually the torticollis lasts a maximum of 3 days, but causes a lot of pain and discomfort, damaging the day to day of the affected person. Putting warm compresses on the neck and adopting the strategies indicated above is recommended to cure the torticoll more quickly.
What causes stiff neck
It is very common for the person to wake up with torticollis, but this change in the position of the head can also happen due to:
- Congenital problems, such as when the baby is already born with congenital torticollis, requiring treatment, sometimes surgical;
- Injuries involving the head and neck;
- Alterations of the spine, such as disc herniation, scoliosis, alteration of the C1 2 C2 vertebrae in the neck;
- Respiratory system infections, which cause torticollis and fever, or others such as meningitis;
- Presence of abscess in the mouth, head or neck region;
- In case of diseases like Parkinson's, where the musculature is more prone to muscle spasms;
- Taking certain medicines, such as traditional dopamine receptor blockers, metoclopramide, phenytoin or carbamazepine.
The most common type of torticollis usually lasts 48 hours and is easy to fix. But when there are other symptoms like fever or others, you should go to the doctor to investigate. Some remedies that may be recommended by the doctor include diprospam, miosan and torsilax, for example.
How to relieve headache
When the person has torticollis it is also common to have headache, so watch the video to know how to relieve headache with an auto massage:
