Neck Pain (Cervicalgia): Symptoms & Signs

Pain in the neck can be more than just a hassle. Neck pain can come from disorders and diseases of any structure in the neck. There are seven vertebrae that are the bony building blocks of the spine in the neck (the cervical vertebrae) that surround the spinal cord and canal. Between these vertebrae are discs and nearby pass the nerves of the neck. Within the neck, structures include the neck muscles, arteries, veins, lymph glands, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, esophagus, larynx, and trachea. Disease of any of these structures can lead to neck pain, including cervical spinal stenosis, myofascial pain, ankylosing spondylitis, spinal tumor (rare), cervical foraminal stenosis, and spondylolisthesis.

Neck pain is medically referred to as cervicalgia.

Neck pain can be associated with

• headaches,
• neck soreness,
• sharp pain,
• stress,
• radiating pain,
• numbness and tingling in the arms,
• muscle pain,
• fever,
• stiff neck,
• throat pain,
• tenderness,
• loss of bowel or bladder control,
• difficulty lifting or gripping, and
• weakness of the arms.

REFERENCE:

Kasper, D.L., et al., eds. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 19th Ed. United States: McGraw-Hill Education, 2015.

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