Fibrositis of the sternocleidomastoid muscle causes the head to sit to one side.

• A. Fibrositis
• B. Torticollis
• C. Cervical Spondylosis
• D. Whiplash

Answer: (B)

When one of the neck muscles, especially the sternocleidomastoid, is inflamed or in spasm on one side, it pulls the head toward that side. The sternocleidomastoid also rotates the head so the face turns to the opposite side. Put together, this causes the head to sit tilted to one side, a posture known as torticollis. The other conditions don’t typically produce a fixed head tilt: degenerative neck changes (cervical spondylosis) and neck injuries like whiplash cause pain and stiffness but not a characteristic sustained tilt, and general muscle pain (fibrositis) doesn’t by itself create this specific posture. So the described situation best fits torticollis.