Understand & manage
- A spasm is an involuntary muscle tightening. Posture, strain, injury, and other conditions can contribute. Persistent abnormal head turning needs assessment.
- Use comfortable positioning and gentle activity as tolerated. Protect skin when using heat or cold; do not sleep on a heating pad.
- Ask about physical therapy and safe pain relief. Muscle relaxants can cause drowsiness; ask before driving or combining them with alcohol or sedatives.
When to get medical help
Do not treat severe stiffness with fever, new neurological symptoms, or a major injury as a simple spasm. Seek urgent medical care; call 911 for emergency symptoms.
Bring this question to your visit
Is this a strain, a medication effect, or a movement disorder?
Education & translation notice
For educational and informational purposes only. This content is not medical advice and does not replace medical consultation or evaluation. Call 911 for any medical emergency. Do not change medicines or begin exercises based only on this page. Ask your clinician about new or worsening symptoms, falls, medication side effects, and the right level of care. For severe or sudden symptoms, serious injury, breathing difficulty, or another medical emergency, call 911; do not wait for a website, form, or chatbot reply. English and translated summaries can contain errors or become outdated. Spanish and other translations may lose medical meaning; confirm important instructions with your clinician and a qualified interpreter. Linked materials may have different regional emergency numbers; in the United States use 911.