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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.

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

Multiple Symptom Checker Combinations

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:

Causes of Similar Symptoms to Neck pain

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

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

Medical Books Excerpts
  • "In a Page: Signs and Symptoms"
  • "In a Page: Signs and Symptoms"
  • "In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms"
  • "In A Page: Pediatric Signs and Symptoms"
  • "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care"
  • "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care"
  • "Differential Diagnosis in Primary Care"
  • "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)"
  • "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)"
  • "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)"
  • "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)"
  • "Handbook of Signs & Symptoms (Third Edition)"
  • "A Pocket Manual of Differential Diagnosis"
  • "Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition)"
  • "Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition)"
  • "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)"
  • "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)"
  • "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)"
  • "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)"
  • "Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition)"
  • "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter"
  • "The 10-Minute Diagnosis Manual: Symptoms and Signs in the Time-Limited Encounter"
  • "Field Guide to Bedside Diagnosis"
  • "Field Guide to Bedside Diagnosis"
  • "Handbook of Diseases"
  • "Alarming Signs and Symptoms: Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice Series"
  • "Alarming Signs and Symptoms: Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice Series"
  • "Alarming Signs and Symptoms: Lippincott Manual of Nursing Practice Series"
  • "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses"
  • "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses"
  • "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses"
  • "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses"
  • "Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses"
  • "The Diagnostic Approach to Symptoms and Signs in Pediatrics"
  • "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms"
  • "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms"
  • "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms"
  • "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms"
  • "Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms"

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

Misdiagnosis and Neck pain

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Vitamin B12 deficiency under-diagnosed: The condition of Vitamin B12 deficiency is a possible misdiagnosis of various conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (see symptoms of multiple sclerosis). See ...read more »

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:

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

Videos for Neck pain

Neck Tension

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Angina Evaluation

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Diagnosing Heart Problems

Diagnosing Heart ProblemsDo you suffer from chest pain while exercising? If so, you may want to see a doctor. Join experts as they talk about the various methods used to...

Angina

AnginaAngina pectoris is the name for a chest pain or discomfort caused by a lack of blood supply to the heart muscle. Learn more about the signs and...

 
See full list of 4 related videos

Patient Surveys for Neck pain

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:

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:

Detailed list of causes of Neck pain

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

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.

A

  • 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
  • Aneurysm, intracranial berry, 4 ... neck pain
  • Aneurysm, intracranial berry, 5 ... neck pain
  • Aneurysm, intracranial berry, 6 ... neck pain
  • Aneurysm, intracranial berry, 7 ... neck pain
  • Aneurysm, intracranial berry, 8 ... neck pain
  • Aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage ... neck pain
  • Angina ... pain extends to neck
  • Angiostrongyliasis ... neck pain
  • Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic ... neck pain
  • Arnold-Chiari Malformation (Type 1) ... neck pain
  • Atlanto-Axial Fusion ... neck pain
  • Autoimmune Myelopathy ... Neck pain

    B

  • Back tumour ... neck pain
  • Barrett syndrome ... neck pain
  • Basilar impression primary ... neck pain, pain on moving neck

    C

  • Carcinoma, squamous cell of head and neck ... neck pain
  • Chordoma ... neck pain

    D

  • Degenerative Disc Disease ... neck pain

    F

  • Facet syndrome ... neck pain

    G

  • Gerlier disease ... neck pain

    H

  • Hashimoto's Thyroiditis ... neck discomfort
  • Heart attack ... neck discomfort
  • Hilger syndrome ... neck pain
  • Hip cancer ... neck pain

    I

  • Inheritable disorders of connective tissue ... Neck pain
  • Intervertebral disc disease ... neck pain

    L

  • Lyme disease ... neck aches

    M

  • Madelung's disease ... neck pain
  • Meningitis ... pain on moving neck
  • Meningococcal disease ... pain on moving neck
  • Metastatic squamous neck cancer with occult primary ... neck pain
  • Muscle contraction headache ... neckache

    N

  • Nasopharyngeal carcinoma ... neck pain
  • Neck Arthritis ... neck pain
  • Neck Cancer ... Neck pain
  • Neck conditions ... Neck pain
  • Neck injury ... Neck pain

    O

  • Optic neuropathy, anterior ischemic ... neck pain

    P

  • Pharyngitis ... tender neck lymph glands
  • Polymyalgia rheumatica ... neck pain

    Q

  • Quinsy ... tender neck lymph glands

    R

  • Retropharyngeal abscess ... neck pain
  • Rheumatoid arthritis ... neck pain
  • Rib Tumor ... neck pain
  • Rubella ... tender neck lymph glands

    S

  • SAPHO syndrome ... neck pain
  • Sinusitis ... neck pain
  • Spinal Arthritis ... neck pain
  • Spondylosis ... pain spreading from neck down arms, neck pain
  • Syringomyelia, cervical lesion ... neck pain

    T

  • Temporo-mandibular ankylosis ... neck pain
  • Tension headache ... neckache
  • Thoracic outlet syndrome TOS ... neck pain
  • Thymus Cancer ... Neck pain
  • Thymus disorders ... Neck pain
  • Thyroglossal tract cyst ... neck pain
  • Thyroid cancer ... neck pain
  • Thyroid cancer, anaplastic ... neck pain
  • Thyroid cancer, Hurthle cell ... neck pain
  • Thyroiditis ... neck pain worse turning the head, tender thyroid gland, neck pain, neck pain worse with swallowing

    V

  • Vertebral Artery Dissection ... neck pain
  • Viral meningitis ... pain on moving neck
  • Vocal nodules ... sore neck

    W

  • West nile encephalitis ... Neck pain
  • West Nile fever ... Neck pain
  • Whiplash ... neck pain
  • Whiplash Injuries ... neck pain

    Conditions listing complications: Neck pain:

    The following list of conditions have 'Neck pain' or similar listed as a complication in our database. The distinction between a symptom and complication is not always clear, and conditions mentioning this symptom as a complication may also be relevant. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

    W

  • Whiplash ... permanent neck pain

    Join in at the forums

    Ask or answer a question about symptoms or diseases at one of our free interactive user forums.

    Medical story forums: If you have a medical story then we want to hear it.

    See a list of all the medical forums

  • 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:

  • Travel - has the patient travelled recently?
  • Diabetes - history of diabetes or family history of diabetes?

    Doctors and specialists: Who should I consult about Neck pain?

    Depending on the seriousness of the onset of Neck pain, you may want to consult one of the following medical professionals.
    Important:In extreme cases, always seek advice from emergency services :

    Classifications of Neck pain:

    Medical Conditions associated with Neck pain:

    Pain (2937 causes), Neck symptoms (476 causes), Sensations (3159 causes), Nerve symptoms (3452 causes), Common symptoms (4528 causes)

    Symptoms related to Neck pain:

    Sore throat (138 causes), Neck symptoms (476 causes), Neck stiffness (14 causes), Throat symptoms (1130 causes)

    Neck pain as a disease:

    You may also want to research other Diseases in our Disease Center.

    Medical articles on signs and symptoms:

    Doctor-patient articles related to symptoms and diagnosis:

    These general medical articles may be of interest:

    See full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

    Medical News summaries about Neck pain

    Our news pages contain the following medical news summaries about Neck pain and many other medical conditions:


    More Ways To Research Medical Signs and Symptoms:


     » Next page: Causes of Neck pain

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