Alternate Names: Pain - neck; Sore neck

Considerations: Neck pain may originate from any neck structure, ranging from the meninges and cervical vertebrae to blood vessels, muscles, and lymphatic tissue. This symptom can also originate from other areas of the body.

The location, onset, and pattern of the neck pain help determine its origin and underlying causes.

Common Causes:

• strain and spasm of the neck muscles
  • most common cause
  • neck pain in the morning may be the result of sleeping habits
• influenza
  • suspected when the neck pain is associated with fever, muscle aches, and a headache
• arthritis
• neck injury which causes a "pinched nerve"
  • When this is the cause of neck pain, the pain may extend down the arm, or there may be numbness or tingling sensations in the arm or hand.
  • This pain maybe only on one side, and neck stiffness is not significant.
• infection
• mononucleosis
• German measles
• in rare cases, cancer

Home Care: Neck pain that results from sleeping habits may be helped by sleeping on a firm surface without a pillow.

Warmth may be useful in relieving spasms and pain. Heat may be applied with hot showers, hot compresses, or a heating pad.

Over-the-counter pain medications will help relieve pain and inflammation.

Neck pain may be slow to improve and may take several weeks to completely go away, so be patient.

Call If:

• the pain does not lessen in a week.
• the pain is associated with fever and headache, or the neck is so stiff that the chin cannot touch the chest.
• the pain travels down one arm, or if there is numbness or tingling in the arm.
• there are painful or swollen glands in the neck that do not clear up in a few days.

What To Expect: The medical history will be obtained and a physical examination performed.

Medical history questions documenting your neck pain in detail may include:

• location
  • Is it in the front part of neck?
  • Is it on the side?
  • Are both sides the same (symmetrical)?
  • Is it in the back of the neck?
• associated complaints
  • Did neck pain occur prior to the onset of brain/nervous system losses (weakness, loss of speech, etc.)?
  • Can the chin be bent forward and touch the chest?
• time pattern
  • When did the pain first develop?
  • Is it there all the time or does it come and go?
  • If it comes and goes, is there a pattern to the occurrences?
  • Is it getting worse?
• other
  • What other symptoms are also present?
  • Is there neck weakness?
  • Is there neck stiffness?
  • Is there a neck lump?

• X-rays of the neck
• CT scan of the neck
• blood tests such as CBC or blood differential
• cerebrospinal fluid analysis