Which combination of neck movements best stretches the neck muscles in acute torticollis?

Which combination of neck movements best stretches the neck muscles in acute torticollis?

• A. Right rotation and right lateral flexion
• B. Left rotation and left lateral flexion
• C. Right rotation and left lateral flexion
• D. Left rotation and right lateral flexion

Answer: (C)

Stretching a tight neck muscle like the sternocleidomastoid involves moving the head in the opposite direction of the muscle’s usual action when it contracts. When one SCM contracts, it rotates the head to the opposite side and laterally flexes toward the same side. If the right SCM is tight in acute torticollis, the head is typically rotated away from the right and tilted toward the right. To lengthen the right SCM, you position the head into the opposite movements: rotate to the right and bend the head to the left. This places the right SCM on a stretch and helps reduce the spasm. That combination—right rotation with left lateral flexion—best accomplishes the stretch. The other options would not place the tight muscle on stretch in the same effective way and would either fail to lengthen the affected SCM or could place stretch on the opposite side unnecessarily.

Stretching a tight neck muscle like the sternocleidomastoid involves moving the head in the opposite direction of the muscle’s usual action when it contracts. When one SCM contracts, it rotates the head to the opposite side and laterally flexes toward the same side. If the right SCM is tight in acute torticollis, the head is typically rotated away from the right and tilted toward the right. To lengthen the right SCM, you position the head into the opposite movements: rotate to the right and bend the head to the left. This places the right SCM on a stretch and helps reduce the spasm.

That combination—right rotation with left lateral flexion—best accomplishes the stretch. The other options would not place the tight muscle on stretch in the same effective way and would either fail to lengthen the affected SCM or could place stretch on the opposite side unnecessarily.