Calling Dr. Hive about my 11 year old ds's neck...

[Merry]

For the past few months, my ds has been shrugging and twisting his neck as if his neck is hurting or uncomfortable. It seems to get worse when he's under stress. Might it be growing pains?

[Perry]

Sounds like a tic.

[Perry]

Tics, or muscle twitches, are a common occurrence in children. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP, about 20 percent of children suffer from tics. Tics usually affect children between seven and nine years of age, but may occur in children as young as two. Tics are usually a benign condition and typically resolve within a few months. However, you may need to talk to your pediatrician if the tics interfere with your child's daily activities or persist for longer than a year.

Definition

 

A tic is an involuntary movement or sound that is done repetitively. Tics most commonly occur in the face and neck, but can occur in any part of the body. Motor tics include repetitive movements such as blinking the eyes, raising the eyebrows, grimacing, biting the lips, twisting the neck, shrugging the shoulders, thrusting the arms, kicking the legs and jumping. Vocal tics include sounds or speech such as coughing, clearing the throat, grunting, snorting, moaning, humming and even speaking words or sentences.

 

 

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/280179-benign-tics-twitches-in-children/#ixzz27XfIZ7Sh

 

 

 

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[Element]

I have to agree. It sounds like he has developed a mild motor tic. Nothing to really worry about. He will probably grow out of it.

[magnificent_baby]

I agree, it sounds like a tic.

 

You may want to do a little reading on PANDAS sydrome. It is thought to be related to recent strep infections. Not all health professionals are in agreement on this syndrome, so it is somewhat controversial. My teen cousin was treated for it, and his first symptom was a sudden neck/arm twitch.

[msjones]

My son had this type of tic. Kind of a shrug, kind of a neck twist, kind of a head roll. It gradually went away.

 

It did bother me to see him do it -- I thought something might be quite wrong. The doctor saw it at a well-child check, and immediately called it a classic tic.

 

She was right. It went away. It did last at least 6-9 months, however.

 

My older son had a blinking tic last year. To be honest, it really irritated me. But, I mostly kept my mouth shut, and it went away, too.

 

You might ask your doctor just to be sure. It did help me to know it was a benign tic.

[Unicorn.]

Does he complain about pain or stiffness? If so, I would look at how he's sleeping, and invest in a different pillow. Otherwise, see above comments from previous posters.

[Pawz4me]

Both of my sons, now 13 and 16, developed transitory tics between 9 and 12 (that's a rough age estimate). Youngest DS will be 14 in November and he was doing a tic-like movement a couple of weeks ago, but he's already stopped.

[West Coast Mom]

Ds11 started doing the same thing last winter. I took him to the chiropractor and after two adjustments he stopped the movement. Might be worth checking out.

[Momof3littles]

It could be a tic or similar, but I wouldn't rule out something musculoskeletal based on your description. Students who spend time sitting at desks reading or using a computer often jut their head forward, which can lead to spasms in muscles of the upper shoulder area like the traps and levator scapulae. In fact, the media has recently been talking about "text neck" which is pretty much the same thing...lots of people spend time in positions with their head jutting forward (aka forward head posture) and that puts a strain on the muscles of the upper back/shoulder area. It isn't just texting-handheld devices like an e-reader, ipod, Nintendo DS, etc. encourage that posture. Slumping down to read a book with the head jutting forward, reading at a desk like that, using a computer like that (especially if mouse or keyboard is not in a good position, or monitor is too low, can also do this). This can also trigger headaches in some people, as there is a nerve that actually pierces the trap. If the trap spasms, pressure is put on the nerve and headaches can occur. Classically that is a headache kind of radiating over the ears.

 

They don't have to have headaches; that can be just one issue that pops up from forward head posture and spasm in those muscles.

 

I'd make sure his desk and work stations are set up ergonomically so his head isn't jutting forward. Doing gentle neck rolls, shoulder rolls, etc. periodically is a good idea. If you think it could be musculoskeletal, you may want to consult with a physical therapist so he can get some stretches, strengthening exercises, and postural work. Sometimes people get painful "trigger points' that are really tender in that area, and a PT can work on those.

Edited September 26, 2012 by Momof3littles

[Merry]

My son had this type of tic. Kind of a shrug, kind of a neck twist, kind of a head roll. It gradually went away.

 

It did bother me to see him do it -- I thought something might be quite wrong. The doctor saw it at a well-child check, and immediately called it a classic tic.

 

She was right. It went away. It did last at least 6-9 months, however.

 

My older son had a blinking tic last year. To be honest, it really irritated me. But, I mostly kept my mouth shut, and it went away, too.

 

You might ask your doctor just to be sure. It did help me to know it was a benign tic.

 

Yes, that's a good description of what my son is doing. Kind of a shrug, kind of a neck twist, and kind of a head roll. It's been going on for about three to four months now. I talked to him about it last night and asked if he's in any pain. He said no. I said that maybe he was having tics. His face lit up and said, "Yes, that's it!" So I reassured him that this was probably just it and that it should go away in a few months. He looked quite relieved.

 

And I checked out the website that Perry linked to. Quite interesting.

 

Thanks!