What Could be Causing Neck Pain?

What Causes Neck Pain?

Neck pain can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'worrying' to 'critical'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose neck pain, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "neck pain" as a symptom. Here are eight possibilities (more below):

Torticollis
Dehydration
Encephalitis
Possible Urgent Medical Need
Meningitis
A Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Cervical Arthritis

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

pain in cold/cool/damp weather

significant right hypochondriac pain

dizziness when standing up

poor balance

significant red blood in stools

severe vision disturbances

frequent 'chills'

severe periumbilical pain

long term neck pain

history of rheumatoid arthritis

moderate alcohol consumption

major joint pain/swelling/stiffness

... and more than 60 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of neck pain:

Cause	Probability	Status
Torticollis	95%	Confirm
Rheumatoid Arthritis	25%	Unlikely
Dehydration	24%	Unlikely
Meningitis	2%	Ruled out
A Subarachnoid Hemorrhage	1%	Ruled out
Encephalitis	1%	Ruled out
Possible Urgent Medical Need	1%	Ruled out
Cervical Arthritis	1%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate neck pain/stiffness, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

If you have neck pain, how severe is it?

Possible responses:

→ Don't know
→ My neck is not painful
→ It is a minor problem
→ It is significant, but I can function
→ I am in extreme pain, unable to function

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate not having neck pain, slight neck pain, significant neck pain or severe neck pain, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

A Potentially Urgent Medical Need

Severe neck pain can indicate a potentially life-threatening condition, such as meningitis, encephalitis or a subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Encephalitis

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Meningitis

Neck Arthritis

Dehydration

If the body is dehydrated, the intervertebral disks in the cervical spine will also be dehydrated, possibly causing neck pain.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Torticollis (Loxia, "Wryneck")

Pain in the neck, back, or shoulder affects more than two-thirds of all people with torticollis.