
Neck pain and rheumatic disease. Illustration: FotoFyl / E. Tsavari. CC BY 2.0
Contents
Definition
Pain in the neck is common and most often caused by harmless, though troublesome muscles. The symptoms can come acute or during periods of stress or a lot of work in front of the computer screen. However, there are many other and sometimes serious illnesses that can also cause neck pain. Below is a selection and a list of "Red Flags" / danger signals listed alphabetically.
Rheumatic disease with neck pain
- Arthritis
- Osteoarthritis, Spondylosis
- Between discs in the neck
- Side joint (facet joint)
- Bekhterevs / ankylosing spondylitis
- Ankylosis (confusion of vertebra)
- Syndesmophytes
- Muscle pain (myalgia)
- Bad posture (Scheuermann's disease, Ankylosing spondylitis, osteoporosis. with fractures or work on PC screen)
- Fibromyalgia
- Muscular tension (stress, load like work on screen, occupation as hairdresser)
- Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR)
- Never before 50's age
- Quick start (within hours)
- High CRP and lowering response (SR)
- At the same time in both shoulders, pelvic or thighs
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with spinal cord manifestation / myelitis (rare)
- Takayasu arteritis
- High CRP and lowering reaction (SR)
- Pain on the side of the throat (over arteries, carotidynia)
- Young women
Other causes of neck pain
- Aterio-venous fistula (vein change) in the neck (rare)
- Varying symptoms including paralysis
- Fracture
- Sports Injury
- Assault
- Diving Accident
- Eagles syndrome (calcification in the jaw ligament) (reference: More C, 2017)
- Cramp-like pain in the left part of the neck, face and head
- Exacerbation of the side bend and rotation to the right
- Rare
- Infection
- Discitis (Intermediate Disc Infection)
- Often other signs of infection (night sweats, some fever, pain)
- Osteomyelitis (vertebra infection) in the neck
- Spinal cord infection (Myelitis)
- Herpes zoster («Shingles»: always on one side of the throat, painful blisters and skin sores)
- Meningitis (meningitis)
- Headache, nausea, neck stiffness
- Discitis (Intermediate Disc Infection)
- Cancer (rare)
- Different types and locations (skeleton, spinal cord)
- Bone pain
- Nerve compression (with nerve symptoms)
- May be metastases from another tumor
- «Crick in the neck» (Torticollis)
- Muscle pain triggered by unusual movement or muscle stretch during sleep
- Congenital (congenital) malformation of muscle or cervical vertebrae. Kippel-Feil syndrome with more
- Muscular fibrosis in newborn or small children
- Intervertebral discs
- Prolapse with nerve compression
- Most often between C5 / C6 or C6 / C7
- Discitis (intervertebral infection)
- Prolapse with nerve compression
- Myelitis (inflammation of the spinal cord)
- See also SLE above
- Whiplash
- Various types of neck injury after sudden overextension (extension)
- Most often associated with a car accident with collision from rear
- The mechanism behind chronic pain is often unclear
6 Red Flags (Danger Signals)
- Troublesome symptoms for more than 6 weeks
- No improvement or gradual deterioration over time
- Pain radiate to arm or leg
- Pain by knocking against the vertebra of the neck
- Numbness or loss of muscle strength
- Other new symptoms (unexplained new night sweats, fever, weight loss, headache, nausea)
Investigation of neck pain
- Clinical examination (GP, neurologist, rheumatologist)
- Laboratory tests (CRP, Sedimentation rate / ESR, number of blood cells, liver and renal function tests with more)
- Image Diagnostics (X-ray, MRI examination, CT images)
Headache and rheumatic disease are described here (Vaskulitt.no)
Debt pain and rheumatic disease have their own side here