Neck Pain

Neck pain and stiffness usually is due to straining or having a spasm in your neck muscles. It can also be caused by inflammation (swelling) of the joints in your neck. Sometimes, neck pain can be caused by arthritis or injury to the discs between your neck (cervical) vertebrae.

Neck pain can cause other problems like headaches, pain in shoulder, upper back, or down your arm.

Causes:

• Looking down for too long a time
• Using a pillow to sleep on that is too flat, too high or does not give your head the right support.
• Sleeping on your stomach or with your neck twisted
• Resting your forehead on your upright fist or arm.
• Watching TV or reading lying down.
• Stress
• Being hit in the head or on your neck.
• Exercising your upper body and arms too much at one time

Important: If you have a very stiff neck with a fever and headache you need to see a doctor very soon to rule out meningitis.

Treatment:

• Some of the most important things to help you avoid neck pain, are to use good body posture and exercise your neck.
• If your neck pain is worse at the end of the day, you need to look at what you do during the day, you need to take several mini breaks, so you're not sitting too long in one position.
• When working at a computer, the top of the monitor screen should be eye level.
• Talking on the phone a lot can be bothersome. You may want to use a headset or speakerphone.
• Move the seat in your car to help support your head and lower back
• If your neck bothers you more in the morning, check how you slept and what you did the day before.
• Try a special cervical pillow and/or a hard mattress
• Try not to use pillows that make your head go forward when you are sleeping on your back.
• Keep your nose in line with the center of your body when sleeping on your side.
• Use relaxation exercises, if you think stress is causing your neck pain.
• Do neck exercises once a day to help make your neck muscles stronger.
• Use cold packs placed on muscles that hurt for 10 to 15 minutes as often as once every hour. This helps with pain, spasms and swelling.
• Try to keep your head looking straight ahead rather than a downward position
• Use a pain medication that is recommended by your doctor or pharmacist
• Try walking. Start with walking for 5 to 10 min. 3 to 4 times a day.
• When the pain feels better you need to do exercises to help strengthen your neck muscles.

Return to the Emergency Department IF:

• Go right away if you have a stiff neck with a fever and headache.
• You have shooting pain that goes down one arm or you have tingling in your hands.
• You have new weaknesses in your arms or legs.
• You get hit in the head or neck (whiplash) and it causes new pain.
• You have too much pain to handle at home.
• You have pain for more than 2 weeks, even after trying the suggestions above.
• You fall from a height of greater than 3 meters.