When your neck is sore, you may have trouble moving it, especially to one side. Many people describe this as having a stiff neck. If neck pain involves nerves, such as a muscle spasm pinching on a nerve or a slipped disk pressing on a nerve, you may feel numbness, tingling, or weakness in your arm, hand, or elsewhere.
A stiff neck is typically characterized by soreness and difficulty moving the neck, especially when trying to turn the head to the side. It may also be accompanied by a headache, neck pain, shoulder pain and/or arm pain.
Neck pain may be caused by arthritis, disc degeneration, narrowing of the spinal canal, muscle inflammation, strain or trauma. In rare cases, it may be a sign of cancer or meningitis.
Call your doctor if you have neck pain that: Worsens in spite of self-care. Persists after several weeks of self-care. Radiates down your arms or legs.
Assess for red flags including pain, myelopathy (compression of the spinal cord, malignancy, inflammation or infection, trauma or skeletal injury, vascular conditions, weakness or loss of sensation involving more than one myotome or dermatome or significant intractable or increasing pain (use clinical judgement) - ...
The rule of thumb is that you should start a more thorough medical investigation only when all three of these conditions are met, three general red flags for neck pain: it's been bothering you for more than about 6 weeks. it's severe and/or not improving, or actually getting worse.
In the most minor cases, neck stiffness can improve in just a few days with minor treatment. However, when a more serious injury or condition is at root, it can become a chronic difficulty that can drag on for weeks and even months.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends sleeping on your back or side as the best sleeping position for pain relief from stiff necks. Use a rounded pillow to support your neck's natural curve if you sleep on your back. You may also place a thin pillow cushion under your head.
Rarely, neck pain can be a symptom of a more serious problem. Seek medical care for neck pain with numbness or loss of strength in the arms or hands or for pain that shoots into a shoulder or down an arm.
Over the counter painkillers, for instance, paracetamol and ibuprofen, can help with the pain, and may prevent your neck from becoming more painful by allowing you to relax your neck muscles. Don't take paracetamol more than every four hours, and don't take more than the specified dose – 4g - every 24 hours.
Common causes include physical strain, poor posture, mental stress, osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, herniated disk, pinched nerve, tumors and other health conditions.
When we experience long term stress, our bodies can hold tension in our neck and shoulder muscles, which can lead to pain. Neck pain is a common symptom caused by persistent stress. The more stressed we are, the more tense our muscles become, causing more pain and discomfort. You may also develop tension headaches.
Pain relievers might include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve), or acetaminophen (Tylenol, others). Take these medications only as directed. Overuse can cause serious side effects.
The results are in line with the findings of a previous study showing that increasing daily walking steps by 1000 steps reduced the risk of neck pain by 14% in those with sedentary jobs.
Whether your neck pain starts because of an injury or an underlying condition, your symptoms can spread and impact your quality of life. For example, in addition to the discomfort, neck pain can lead to headaches, difficulty sleeping or turning your head, and weakness, numbness, or tingling in your shoulder and arm.
Seek urgent medical care if your neck pain: Develops after having an accident. Includes headache, dizziness, nausea, or vomiting. Happens with numbness or tingling in the arms, shoulders or legs.
Pain in the upper body, including the arms, back, shoulders, neck, jaw or abdomen, are often warning signs of a heart attack. If the pain is located in the neck, back, jaw, throat or abdomen it may be a sign of heart disease.
Doing massage therapy for neck pain can help reduce the severity of acute neck pain and help muscles relax. But, strictly doing massage therapy will likely not solve the underlying problems, even after the severe pain is gone.