Symptom: Neck pain

Introduction: Neck pain

This section addresses pain in the external neck or related tissues, and not in the throat. For pain internal to the throat, see sore throat and other throat symptoms.

» Review Causes of Neck pain: full list

Causes of Neck pain:

The following medical conditions are some of the possible causes of Neck pain. There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor about your symptoms.

• Poor sleeping posture
• Neck injury
• Whiplash
• Neck strain
• Neck sprain
• Neck muscle disorder
• Neck muscle spasm
• Neck ligament disorder
• Torticollis
• Head injury
• Spinal disorder
• Arthritis
• Cervical spine arthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Cervical spondylosis
• Disc disorders
• Ruptured disc
• Prolapsed cervical disc
• Wrong pillow
• Poor posture (see Posture symptoms)
• Carotidynia
• Congenital cervical rib
• Cervical spine infection
• Swollen neck lymph nodes - see the various causes of swollen lymph nodes
• Infection
• Mononucleosis
• Rubella
• Certain cancers
• See also stiff neck or swollen neck
• Ankylosing spondylitis

See full list of 127 causes of Neck pain

» Review Causes of Neck pain: full list

Neck pain: Multiple Symptom Checker

Listed below are some combinations of symptoms associated with Neck pain, as listed in our database. Visit the Multiple Symptoms Checker, to add and remove symptoms and research your condition.

Multiple Symptom Checker - Other Symptoms

• Neck pain: Multiple Symptom Checker

Multiple Symptom Checker Combinations

• Neck pain and Pain (84 causes)
• Neck pain and Nerve symptoms (83 causes)
• Neck pain and Sensations (83 causes)
• Neck pain and Neck symptoms (76 causes)
• Neck pain and Head symptoms (58 causes)
• Neck pain and Headache (48 causes)
• Neck pain and Movement symptoms (41 causes)
• Neck pain and Swelling symptoms (40 causes)
• Neck pain and Muscle weakness (39 causes)
• Neck pain and Muscle symptoms (37 causes)
• Neck pain and Eye symptoms (33 causes)
• Neck pain and Fatigue (33 causes)
• Neck pain and Digestive symptoms (33 causes)
• Neck pain and Weakness (32 causes)
• Neck pain and Stiffness (31 causes)
• Neck pain and Behavioral symptoms (29 causes)
• Neck pain and Respiratory symptoms (28 causes)
• Neck pain and Back pain (27 causes)
• Neck pain and Personality symptoms (26 causes)
• Neck pain and Fever (26 causes)

See full list of 778 Multiple Symptom Checker combinations related to Neck pain

Causes of General Symptom Types

Research the causes of these more general types of symptom:

• Pain (3014 causes)
• Neck symptoms (478 causes)
• Sensations (3186 causes)
• Nerve symptoms (3495 causes)
• Common symptoms (4555 causes)

Causes of Similar Symptoms to Neck pain

Research the causes of these symptoms that are similar to, or related to, the symptom Neck pain:

• Sore throat (237 causes)
• Neck symptoms (478 causes)
• Neck stiffness (30 causes)
• Throat symptoms (1143 causes)

Diagnostic Guides for Neck pain

Medical Books Excerpts Read excerpts from published book sections related to Neck pain from the following published medical books for more detailed information about Neck pain. Free access (no registration): read all online diagnostic book sections about Neck pain

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Misdiagnosis and Neck pain

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Read more about Misdiagnosis and Neck pain

Diagnostic tests for Neck pain:

Various tests are used in the diagnosis of Neck pain. Some of these are listed below :

• Physical examination
  • General appearance - e.g. pale and sweating must consider heart attack; photophobia (dislike for light) must consider meningitis or subarachnoid hemorrhage.
  • Examine for painful neck stiffness (which suggests meningitis or subarachnoid hemorrhage) or painless neck resistance (may be found with cervical spine spondylosis)
  • Inspection of neck, noting willingness to move head and neck, level of shoulders, any tendency to hold neck to side and the contour of neck form the side - e.g. person with torticollis (wry neck) holds head away from the painful side; person with whiplash or cervical spondylosis (degeneration) tends to hold the neck stiff, the head forward and tends to turn the body rather than turn the head.
  • Feel the neck including each cervical vertebral bone and joint. Also feel the front of the neck looking for signs of enlarged tender neck lymph nodes, muscle spasm and thyroid disease

See full list of 31 diagnostic tests for Neck pain

Diagnosis Checklist: Questions your doctor may ask (and why!)

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in their assessment of Neck pain. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor about your symptoms may help them with their diagnosis. Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:

• How long have you had neck pain? - to determine if acute or chronic.
• Where is the neck pain worst and can you point to the area of maximal pain? - to determine if it is front, back, side, base of neck, top of neck.
• Nature of the pain? - may reveal its likely origin e.g. aching, throbbing pain can indicate inflammation such as spondylitis; superficial steady diffuse pain can indicate local pain such as a muscular strain; boring deep pain can indicate bone disease such as bone tumor.
• Is your neck pain worse when you wake in the morning or later in the day?? - Inflammatory neck pain is worse at night and in early morning; mechanical neck pain due to injury is worse at the end of the day and after activity; Continuous neck pain present day and night is suggestive of infection or bone tumor.
• Did the neck pain start after an injury to your head or neck such as hitting your head on an overhead bar or a rear-end collision between motor vehicles?- helps to determine cause of neck pain e.g. dysfunction of the cervical intervertebral disc, whiplash, neck muscle strain, compression fracture of the spine

See Diagnosis Checklist for Neck pain (29 listings)

Diagnosis Checklist: Associated symptoms your doctor may ask about (and why!)

Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. The symptoms your doctor may ask about (in association with Neck pain) may include:

• Pain in ears, throat, teeth, sinus? - may suggest tender enlarged cervical lymph nodes as the cause of neck pain.
• Headaches? - often suggests pain referred to head from neck . Must always consider the possibility of meningitis or subarachnoid hemorrhage.
• Radiation of pain to one or both arms? - would suggest a space-occupying lesion such as a herniated cervical disk, spinal cord tumor, fracture of the cervical spine or cervical spondylosis (degeneration of the cervical neck bones).
• Neck stiffness? - if severe, prolonged and worse in the morning indicates inflammation e.g. Rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis; Osteoarthritis causes stiffness at rest. Must also consider the possibility of meningitis and subarachnoid hemorrhage.
• Pain, swelling or stiffness in any other joints in the body? - consider Rheumatoid arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis or enteropathic arthritis (such as due to Ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease).

See Diagnosis Checklist for Neck pain (29 listings)

Stories from Users for Neck pain

Real-life user stories relating to Neck pain:

• Pains in Sinusitis and Neuralgia Trigeminal because of the neck!
• Help - Neck Pain, Inflamed Veins, No Diagnosis
• Face/Neck/Chest pain for over 3 yrs after dental procedure
• eye,neck,ear,and face pain!!!
• Pain in neck, ear & tongue.. ??
• Right shoulder pain (+ arm, wrist, neck)
• neck pain/headaches/fatigue
• Right eye ptosis,tearing,ear,jaw and neck pain
• headaches, facial numbness and tingling, neck pain
• pain at base of neck
• soarthroat,light headache,evening fever+ neck shoulder joint pain
• Neck pain, tingling and numbness
• Neck pain –diagnose me
• What a pain in the neck. Litterally...Help Please.
• Neck pains, leg spasm and short paralysis
• Sore Neck, Urge to twist
• Shoulder, neck, back, and now wrist pain
• severe pain in neck
• Back pain, plus stiff neck
• Pain in the neck

Symptom specific forums: The following patient stories in our interactive forums and message boards relate to Neck pain or relevant symptoms:

• ENMT (Ears, Nose, Mouth and Throat) (275)
  • Swelling in roof of mouth
  • Pain on one side of throat
  • Please help! Mucus/dark circles/bad breath...
  • Painful white bumps on tongue
  • Sinus headache & eye area pain
  • More user stories
• Musculoskeletal (Muscles, joints and bones) (405)
  • Joint and muscular pain after taking chantix
  • Arm pain after sneezing
  • Fibromyalgia
  • Joint swelling, stiffness, severe foot pain
  • Muscle twitches/spasms
  • More user stories
• Integumentary (Skin) (244)
  • Itchy red bumps all over body? Hives?
  • Sensitive Skin to Touch
  • Painful skin and no answers!!!
  • Pinprick red dots, itchy skin, wrongly diagnosed
  • Skin blisters, joint & muscle pain, Photos..
  • More user stories
• Neurological (Nerves) (357)
  • Could this be MS?
  • Numbness and tingling all over
  • Tingling/numbness in arms/hands/legs/face/head [more symptoms]
  • Eye twitch
  • Essential tremor
  • More user stories

Videos for Neck pain

Patient Surveys for Neck pain

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Causes of Neck pain listed in Disease Database:

Other medical conditions listed in the Disease Database as possible causes of Neck pain as a symptom include:

• Carotid artery dissection
• Cervical myelopathy
• Cervical rib
• Cervical spondylosis
• De Quervain thyroiditis
• Discitis
• Elongated styloid process
• Functional disorders
• Grisel's syndrome
• Intervertebral disc herniation
• Ludwig angina
• Posterior cervical sympathetic syndrome
• Riedel thyroiditis
• Spondylolisthesis
• Spondylosis
• Thyroiditis
• Torticollis, spasmodic
• Vertebral artery dissection
• Vincent's angina
• Whiplash injury

See full list of 127 causes of Neck pain
- (Source - Diseases Database)

Medications or substances causing Neck pain:

The following drugs, medications, substances or toxins are some of the possible causes of Neck pain as a symptom. Always advise your doctor of any medications or treatments you are using, including prescription, over-the-counter, supplements, herbal or alternative treatments.

• Adenosine
• Adenocard
• Adenoscan
• Maxalt
• Maxalt-MLT

See full list of 31 medications causing Neck pain

Definitions of Neck pain:

Discomfort or more intense forms of pain that are localized to the cervical region. This term generally refers to pain in the posterior or lateral regions of the neck.
- (Source - Diseases Database)

Organs affected by Neck pain:

The list of organs typically affected by Neck pain may include, but is not limited to:

• Neck

Detailed list of causes of Neck pain

The list below shows some of the causes of Neck pain mentioned in various sources:

• Adenocarcinoma, Follicular - neck pain
• Aneurysm, intracranial berry - neck pain
• Aneurysm, intracranial berry, 1 - neck pain
• Aneurysm, intracranial berry, 2 - neck pain
• Aneurysm, intracranial berry, 3 - neck pain

See full list of 127 causes of Neck pain

How Common are these Causes of Neck pain?

This information refers to the general prevalence and incidence of these diseases, not to how likely they are to be the actual cause of Neck pain. Of the 127 causes of Neck pain that we have listed, we have the following prevalence/incidence information:

• 2 causes are "very common" diseases
• 6 causes are "common" diseases
• 1 causes are "uncommon" diseases
• 0 causes are "rare" diseases
• 7 causes are "very rare" diseases
• 120 causes have no prevalence information.

See the analysis of the prevalence of 127 causes of Neck pain

Conditions listing symptoms: Neck pain:

The following list of conditions have 'Neck pain' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

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Causes of Neck pain Based on Risk Factors

This information shows analysis of the list of causes of Neck pain based on whether certain risk factors apply to the patient: