What Could be Causing Neck Stiffness?

What Causes Neck Stiffness?

Neck stiffness 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 stiffness, 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 stiffness" as a symptom. Here are seven possibilities:

Rheumatoid Arthritis
Ankylosing Spondylitis
A Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Cervical Arthritis
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis
Meningitis
Encephalitis

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:

regular morning stiffness

severe fatigue after slight exertion

minor joint pain/swelling/stiffness

history of rheumatoid arthritis

minor pain in cold/cool/damp weather

major pain in cold/cool/damp weather

slight neck pain

recent onset neck pain

elevated ANA levels

variable duration morning stiffness

low lymphocyte count

significant neck pain

... and more than 10 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 stiffness:

Cause	Probability	Status
Encephalitis	93%	Confirm
Rheumatoid Arthritis	19%	Unlikely
Cervical Arthritis	14%	Unlikely
Ankylosing Spondylitis	2%	Ruled out
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis	2%	Ruled out
Meningitis	0%	Ruled out
A Subarachnoid Hemorrhage	0%	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 a stiff neck, how long has it been this way?

Possible responses:

→ Don't know / not applicable
→ Over 1 year
→ 1 to 12 months
→ 1 week to 1 month
→ Less than 1 week

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate either long term neck stiffness or recent onset neck stiffness, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Encephalitis

Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

Meningitis

Neck Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis

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