Why Does My Neck Hurt? Types of Neck Pain and Their Causes

By Brian Acton

Neck pain comes in all kinds of varieties - like ice cream, but less fun. Unless you were recently karate chopped, it can be difficult to determine the source of your discomfort. Whether your pain is recurring or has just cropped up, knowing the cause can be a crucial piece of knowledge when determining how to deal with it. When determining the severity and treatment options for your pain, it can help to determine the nature of your pain and search for the root cause. Here, we break down the different types of neck pain you can experience, and what could be the contributing cause. If you find your symptom here listed next to a serious condition, please remember: this is a general guide to possible root causes of neck pain. If you’re experiencing serous neck pain, you should always see your doctor to diagnose the problem.

Types of Neck Pain

While it’s impossible to diagnose the nature of your neck pain over the Internet, we can provide a rundown of the common causes based on your type of pain:

Neck Pain that spreads down the Arm: Neck pain that continues down your arms – even going so far as to reach your hands – can be caused by a pinched nerve in your neck or a herniated disk. The pain may include numbness or tingling in your arms or hands. Luckily, this pain is entirely curable if properly treated with medication, physical therapy, or other techniques. Another potential cause of this type of pain – especially if accompanied by a lack of coordination in your limbs – is cervical stenosis with myelopathy, which typically occurs in older people and may require surgery.

General Stiffness and Soreness: The most common type of neck pain (and the hardest to determine the cause) is neck pain that includes general stiffness and soreness. This pain is (usually) not sharp or as severe as the pain an injury would cause. If the cause is a sprain or strain, potentially due from sleeping position, poor posture or “tech neck,” the condition can be resolved by taking it easy on your neck and practicing better habits.

Sharp Pain: Acute sharp pain can be caused due to an injury or whiplash (such as from a car accident). Minor injuries tend to heal with time, but sharp pain, especially after a car accident or other injury, should be checked by a doctor.

Difficulty Turning the Head: Sometimes the neck can become twisted to one side, and it becomes difficult and painful to turn the neck to a “straightforward” position. Known as torticollis, this symptom is typically caused by minor injury or bad sleeping posture, but also can occur due to abnormal muscle movements known as cervical dystonia.

Conclusion: The grand majority of stiff necks or aches and pains are minor in nature and will heal on their own. By practicing good posture and sleeping position, stretching, and living a healthy lifestyle, you can usually avoid severe neck pain. However, if your neck pain is getting progressively worse, is accompanied by other symptoms, or is severe, you should see your doctor immediately to determine the cause and begin treatment.  

Sources: http://www.spine-health.com/conditions/neck-pain/chronic-neck-pain-what-condition-causing-my-neck-pain http://patient.info/health/nonspecific-neck-pain