Causes

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Some causes of neck pain include:

  1. Cervical dystonia (spasmodic torticollis)
  2. Cervical spondylosis
  3. Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH)
  4. Fibromyalgia
  5. Herniated disk
  6. Meningitis
  7. Muscle strains (An injury to a muscle or to tissue that connects muscles to bones, called a tendon.)
  8. Myofascial pain syndrome
  9. Osteoarthritis
  10. Poor posture
  11. Rheumatoid arthritis (a condition that can affect the joints and organs)
  12. Sleeping in awkward positions or with too many or too few pillows
  13. Spinal stenosis
  14. Tension headache
  15. Trauma from accidents or falls
  16. Whiplash

Causes shown here are commonly associated with this symptom. Work with your doctor or other health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips, current health topics, and expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

We use the data you provide to deliver you the content you requested. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, we may combine your email and website data with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, we will only use your protected health information as outlined in our Notice of Privacy Practices. You may opt out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the email.

Oct. 22, 2024

See also

  1. Acute flaccid myelitis (AFM)
  2. Angina
  3. Bone spurs
  4. Brachial plexus injury
  5. Brachial plexus anatomy
  6. Chiari malformation
  7. Coronary artery spasm: Cause for concern?
  8. CSF leak (Cerebrospinal fluid leak)
  9. Eyestrain
  10. Fibromuscular dysplasia
  11. Headaches and stress
  12. Hemophilia
  13. Hurthle cell cancer
  14. Medication overuse headaches
  15. Myocardial ischemia
  16. Neck pain
  17. Polio
  18. Polymyalgia rheumatica
  19. Pseudotumor cerebri (idiopathic intracranial hypertension)
  20. Small vessel disease
  21. Tension headache
  22. Relieving tension-type headaches
  23. Thoracic outlet syndrome
  24. Nutrition and pain
  25. Pain rehabilitation
  26. Self-care approaches to treating pain
  27. Thunderclap headaches
  28. Thyroid cancer
  29. Thyroid Cancer
  30. What is thyroid cancer? A Mayo Clinic expert explains
  31. Thyroid cancer FAQs
  32. Whiplash