Torticollis is also known as wry neck or Loxia.
The word torticollis is derived from the Latin words ‘tortus’ and ‘collum’, meaning twisted and neck, respectively.
It is a type of dystonic movement disorder most commonly seen in adults age 30 to 40 years of age. Spasmodic torticollis is adult-onset focal or segmental dystonia with a variable combination of neck flexion, extension, rotation, and tilting.
Each individual has a characteristic dystonic posture, which is present at rest, worsens with movement or stress, and improves during sleep.
Torticollis develops in stages, starting with a feeling of tension in the neck muscles, followed by intermittent posturing of the neck with head-turning.
Over a period of time, this becomes constant and fixed, with a little relief during sleep. Symptoms may progress rapidly over several weeks or gradually over several years until it reaches a stage where no more change occurs, which happens 3 to 5 years after the initial manifestation.
Temporary spontaneous remission is almost unusual. But if surgery is done at an early stage, dystonia can be controlled.