TORTICOLLIS

also called Wryneck, or Stiff Neck, abnormality in which the head is pulled to one side and twisted so that the chin points to the other side. In infants the most common causes include congenital shortening of muscles on one side of the neck, position of the child in the womb, and trauma to the sternocleidomastoid muscle during birth. In adults, poor posture, pathology of the cervical spine, and inflammation of cervical lymph nodes may cause it. Spasmodic torticollis is a specific disorder in which the muscles of one side of the neck contract spasmodically; it may be incapacitating and is difficult to cure.