Overview

What is neck pain (cervicalgia)?

Neck pain, sometimes called cervicalgia, is pain in or around your spine beneath your head. Your neck is also known as your cervical spine. Neck pain is a common symptom of many different injuries and medical conditions.

You might have axial neck pain (felt mostly in your neck) or radicular neck pain (pain that shoots into other areas, such as your shoulders or arms). It can be acute (lasting from days to six weeks) or chronic (lasting longer than three months).

What does neck pain feel like?

Some people describe the pain as:

• A persistent ache.
• A stabbing or burning pain.
• A shooting pain that travels from their neck to their shoulders or arms.

Other symptoms

Neck pain may involve other symptoms, including:

• Headache
• Stiffness in your neck, shoulders and upper back.
• Being unable to turn your neck or tilt your head.
• Numbness or tingling (pins and needles) feeling in your shoulders or arms.

Neck pain can interfere with your daily activities and reduce your quality of life if it’s not treated.

Fortunately, most causes of neck pain aren’t serious and improve with conservative treatments, like pain medicine, exercise and stress management.

Possible Causes

What are the possible causes of neck pain?

Neck pain has many potential causes, including:

• Aging: As you age, natural wear and tear can cause parts of your cervical spine to deteriorate, or degenerate, causing pain. Degenerative conditions such as osteoarthritis (the wearing down of joint cartilage) and spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spaces in your spine) can lead to neck pain. Over time, stress and repeated movements can cause the disks in your spine to weaken, causing a herniated disk or pinched nerve.
• Physical strain: Overusing your neck muscles during repetitive or strenuous activities can lead to stiffness and pain. Poor posture, weak abdominal muscles and heavier body weight can affect your spine’s alignment and contribute to neck pain. For example, straining your neck to view a computer screen for long periods is a common cause of neck pain.
• Mental stress: Tightening your neck muscles because you’re stressed can lead to neck pain and stiffness. Many people who tighten these muscles when they’re stressed or agitated don’t realize they do it until their neck starts hurting.
• Injury: Trauma and other injuries can damage muscles, ligaments, disks, vertebral joints and nerve roots in your spinal cord and lead to neck pain. Whiplash during automobile accidents is a common injury that causes neck pain.
• Growths:Masses, including tumors, cysts and bone spurs, can put pressure on the nerves in your neck, causing pain.
• Other health conditions:Neck pain is a symptom of many health conditions, including meningitis, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer.

Care and Treatment

How is neck pain diagnosed?

Usually, a medical history and a physical exam are enough for a healthcare provider to diagnose the cause of neck pain. A healthcare provider will first eliminate serious causes of neck pain, like pressure on your spinal cord, myelopathy, an infection or cancer.

• Medical history: Your provider will ask about previous neck injuries that may have caused whiplash or a herniated disk. They may ask about work or other activities that could strain your neck. They’ll ask about your pain, including when it started, where it’s located, how long it lasts and how intense it is.
• Physical exam: Your provider will check your head and neck alignment and observe your range of motion when you move your neck. They’ll feel your neck and supporting muscles to check for tenderness and signs of strain.
• Imaging tests usually aren’t necessary to identify what’s causing neck pain. Still, a provider may take images of the inside of your neck if they suspect a serious injury or if you’re experiencing severe pain that doesn’t improve.
• X-rays: X-rays can show problems with your bones or soft tissues that may be causing neck pain. An X-ray can show issues with cervical alignment, fractures and slipped disks, and they can detect arthritis.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): An MRI can show problems with your spinal cord, nerves, bone marrow and soft tissue. It can show if a disk has slipped out of place, signs of infection and masses that may be causing neck pain, like a cyst or tumor.

When to Call the Doctor

When should I call the doctor if I have neck pain?

Contact a healthcare provider if you have neck pain that interferes with work or other daily activities. In rare cases, neck pain can be a sign of a medical emergency. Seek urgent medical care if your neck pain:

• Develops after an accident.
• Involves a loss of bowel or bladder control.
• Persists whether you’re moving or staying still.
• Involves a headache, dizziness, nausea or vomiting.
• Occurs with chills, fever or unexplained weight loss.
• Occurs with numbness or tingling in your arms, shoulders or legs.
• Occurs with weakness in your legs or loss of coordination in your arms or legs.
• Doesn’t get better with over-the-counter medications.
• Doesn’t improve after one week.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

It’s easy to overlook the important work your neck does — until you experience neck pain or have trouble moving your head. The average human head weighs about 10 pounds. Your neck is responsible for supporting this weight and keeping your head aligned with the rest of your body. Over time, this work can take a toll on your body, especially if you’re constantly straining your neck. Take preventive steps to avoid neck pain, like practicing good posture and taking frequent breaks to move and stretch. If you’re experiencing neck pain, see a healthcare provider. They can recommend medications and therapies that can provide relief.

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