There are many causes of neck pain. While most are related to posture and muscle strain, there are some areas of concern that one should be aware.
Initially, the history can shed some light on neck pain and it's causes. A patient's occupation, posture habits, onset of pain, charcter of pain and stress at work and home should be noted. Associated symptoms, such as gait or bladder dysfunction should be noted as certain symptom groups can indicate particular disease processes.
Acute pain (recent onset) with limited motion may, especially in a younger person, is likely to follow trauma or a persistant new activity. Neck muscles are usually tender.
Middle age persons with neck pain may present persisting or recurring pain, which is sometimes associated by tingling in the arms or fingers and may even display chest pain from an affected C6 nerve root, sometimes called cervical angina. These symptoms, without a history of trauma, is suggestive of degenerative disc disease, sometimes called arthritis or cervical spondylosis.
