Neck stiffness/pain (patient information)

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What is neck stiffness/pain?

How do I know if I have neck stiffness/pain and what are the symptoms of neck stiffness/pain?

Neck stiffness/pain itself is a symptom. It can appear in many diseases. The characteristics of neck stiffness/pain is the following;

Pain: Pain often occurs after activities such as in reading neapaper, watching TV, using computer.
Muscle strain and tenderness
Neck stiffness in the mornings

Who is at risk for neck stiffness/pain?

Trauma and injury
Degenerative changes in neck such as osteomyelitis, herniated disk
Fibromyalgia
Infection of the spine, such as abscess, meningitis
Immune system diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), polymyalgia rheumatica
Neurological diseases such as stroke, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis
Cancer that involves the spine

How to know you have neck stiffness/pain?

The goal of tests is to identify the cause of your neck stiffness/pain and to treat certain disease.

Medical history and physical examination
Blood tests including CBC, rheumatoid factors, ESR, may supply clues for Immune system diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and ankylosing spondylitis
Neck images such x-ray, CT, MRI: These tests can show the structure of the cervical spine and muscle. They may help doctor diagnose fructure, tumor and other disorders.
Head images such as CT and MRI: When the doctor suspect that your neck stiffness/pain is one of the symptoms of brain disease such as stroke, head images may be ordered.
Whole bone scan: Bone scan is needed when the doctor suspect cancer spreads from other parts of the body to the neck bones. Abnormal concentrations in the cervical spine may be detected.
Lumbar puncture: When your pain is suspected meningitis, the doctor may order this test. During this procedure, the patient lies on the side, with knees pulled up toward the chest, and chin tucked downward. After injecting the anesthetic into the lower spine, the doctor insert a spinal needle into the lower back area to measure CSF pressure and collect a sample. The patient is often asked to lie down for a while after the process.