Having a stiff neck or neck pain is a very common complaint. Cause for your painful neck can be as simple as sleeping on it wrong to as serious as meningitis.
Since meningitis caused stiff neck requires that you seek health care attention immediately, this cause for neck stiffness should be ruled out first. Typically, meningitis causes your neck to be suddenly stiff coupled with a severe headache and fever. If this is your case, stop everything and seek emergency medical attention.
There are other infections that can cause a fever along with stiff painful neck symptoms, like:
- mumps
- listeriosis
- shigellosis
- poliomyelitis
- osteomyelitis
- Lyme disease
- relapsing fever
- mononucleosis
Although, a headache can be a symptom with some of these as well, you should seek health care attention in an abundance of caution. If meningitis is the suspected cause of your stiff neck, then expect testing, antibiotics and a hospital stay.
The most common cause of neck pain is muscle strain or tension, frequently caused by abnormal neck posture, i.e . forward head position. Some other causes for a stiff painful sore neck are:
- stress
- dystonia
- whiplash
- cold drafts
- fibromyalgia
- radiculopathy
- pinched nerve
- nerve damage
- brain abscess
- herniated disk
- spine abscess
- spinal infection
- spinal stenosis
- cervical arthritis
- muscle spasms
- Chiari malformation
- rheumatoid arthritis
- cervical spondylosis
- ankylosing spondylitis
- polymyalgia rheumatica
- subarachnoid hemorrhage
- cerebral aneurysm rupture
- cancer involving your spine
- injury caused vertebral fractures
- sitting in chair with armrests too high
- small fractures caused by osteoporosis
- twisting, turning neck in a jarring manner
Neck soreness can also be referred pain, as your shoulder, jaw, head and upper arms may be the actual causation site.
A couple of neck pain relief treatments for minor causes of a stiff neck include:
- sleeping with a special neck pillow
- use stress management techniques
- gently self massage sore painful neck area
- use soft cervical collar ~ helps reduce muscle inflammation
- relax sore neck muscles with hot shower, warm compress, heating pad
- take OTC pain reliever, anti-inflammatory ~ ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin
These are some health situations related to a painful neck when contact with your health care provider for pain relief treatment is advisable:
- incontinence
- trouble breathing
- difficulty swallowing
- swollen neck glands
- neck pain worsens when you lie down
- arm or hand numbness, tingling, weakness
- painful neck is so severe you can’t get comfortable
- pain, stiffness symptoms don’t subside with neck pain relief treatment
If the pain is caused by a muscle spasm or pinched nerve, then a muscle relaxant or more potent pain reliever might be necessary. Anytime your stiff neck is caused by an injury and you can’t move your arm or hand, you’ll need to seek emergency medical attention.
