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.
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:
Cause | Probability | Status |
---|---|---|
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis | 93% | Confirm |
Cervical Arthritis | 27% | Unlikely |
A Subarachnoid Hemorrhage | 23% | Unlikely |
Meningitis | 4% | Ruled out |
Ankylosing Spondylitis | 4% | Ruled out |
Rheumatoid Arthritis | 1% | Ruled out |
Encephalitis | 1% | Ruled out |
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 |