Neck pain

Key takeaways

Neck pain belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Neck pain to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Neck pain from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Neck pain, also known as cervicalgia, is a common problem, with two-thirds of the population having neck pain at some point in their lives. Because there is not a universally accepted classification for neck pain, it is difficult to study the different types of pain. In 2020, neck pain was the second most common cause of disability in the United States and cost $100 billion in health care spending. Nightly rotator cuff impingement may lead to an asymptomatic shoulder impingement, leading to neck pain. Neck pain can be caused by other spinal problems, and may arise from muscular tightness in both the neck and upper back, or pinching of the nerves emanating from the cervical vertebrae. The head is supported by the lower neck and upper back, and it is these areas that commonly cause neck pain. If this support system is affected adversely, then the muscles in the area will tighten, leading to neck pain. As of 2020, neck pain affected about 203 million people globally, with females having higher prevalence.

Differential diagnosis Neck pain may come from any of the structures in the neck including: vascular, nerve, airway, digestive, and musculature / skeletal, or be referred from other areas of the body. Common and lesser neck pain causes include:

Stress – physical and emotional stresses Prolonged postures – many people fall asleep on sofas and chairs and wake up with sore necks. Minor injuries and falls – car accidents, sporting events, and day to day injuries that are really minor. Referred pain – mostly from upper back problems Over-use – muscular strain is one of the most common causes Whiplash Pinched nerve Major and severe causes of neck pain (roughly in order of severity) include:

Carotid artery dissection Referred pain from acute coronary syndrome Head and neck cancer Infections, including: Meningitis of several types including sudden onset of severe neck or back pain particularly in teens and young adults which may be fatal if not treated quickly Retropharyngeal abscess Epiglottitis Spinal disc herniation – protruding or bulging discs, or if severe prolapse. Spondylosis – degenerative arthritis and osteophytes Spinal stenosis – a narrowing of the spinal canal Although the causes are numerous, most are easily rectified by either professional help or using self help advice and techniques. More causes can include: poor sleeping posture, torticollis, head injury, motor vehicle accidents, rheumatoid arthritis, Carotidynia, congenital cervical rib, mononucleosis, rubella, certain cancers, ankylosing spondylitis, cervical spine fracture, esophageal trauma, subarachnoid hemorrhage, lymphadenitis, thyroid trauma, and tracheal trauma.

Treatment Treatment of neck pain depends on the cause. For the vast majority of people, neck pain can be treated conservatively. Recommendations in which it helps alleviate symptoms include applying heat or cold. Other common treatments could include medication, body mechanics training, ergonomic reform, and physical therapy. Treatments may also include patient education, but existing evidence shows a lack of effectiveness.

Medication Analgesics such as acetaminophen or NSAIDs are generally recommended for pain. A 2017 systemic review, however found that paracetamol was not efficacious and that NSAIDs provide a marginal improvement compared to placebo, but not enough to be clinically significant. The study found the number needed to treat (NNT) for NSAIDs in patients with spinal pain was 6, meaning you would need to give 6 separate patients the medication for 1 to feel a clinically significant positive effect. The authors of this review cite the side effect profile of NSAIDs when compared to placebo as another reason that more research and better drugs are needed. Muscle relaxants may also be recommended. However, one study showed that one muscle relaxant called cyclobenzaprine was not effective for treatment of acute cervical strain (as opposed to neck pain from other etiologies or chronic neck pain).

Surgery Surgery is usually not indicated for mechanical causes of neck pain. If neck pain is the result of instability, cancer, or other disease, surgery may be necessary. Surgery is usually not indicated for "pinched nerves" or herniated discs unless there is spinal cord compression or pain and disability have been protracted for many months and refractory to conservative treatment such as physical therapy.

Alternative medicine Exercise plus joint manipulation has been found to be beneficial in both acute and chronic mechanical neck disorders. In particular, specific strengthening exercise may improve function and pain. Motor control using cranio-cervical flexion exercises has been shown to be effective for non-specific chronic neck pain. Both cervical manipulation and cervical mobilization produce similar immediate-, and short-term changes. Multiple cervical manipulation sessions may provide better pain relief and functional improvement than certain medications at immediate to long-term follow-up. Thoracic manipulation may also improve pain and function. Low-level laser therapy has been shown to reduce pain immediately after treatment in acute neck pain and up to 22 weeks after completion of treatment in patients that experience chronic neck pain. Low quality evidence suggests that cognitive-behavioural therapy may be effective at reducing pain in the short-term. Massaging the area may provide immediate and short-lived benefits, but long term effects are unknown. There is a lack of high-quality evidence to support the use of mechanical traction, and side effects include headaches, nausea and injury to tissue. Radiofrequency denervation may provide temporary relief for specific affected areas in the neck. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), the noninvasive use of electrical stimulation on the skin, is of unclear benefit in chronic neck pain.

Epidemiology Neck pain affects about 330 million people globally as of 2010 (4.9% of the population). It is more common in women (5.7%) than men (3.9%).It is less common than low back pain.

Prognosis About one-half of episodes resolve within one year, and approximately 10% become chronic.

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Neck pain

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Neck pain claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Neck pain before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Neck pain ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Neck pain

In research: Neck pain appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Neck pain in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Neck pain is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Human head and neck, Pain, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Neck pain outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

How to study Neck pain in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Neck pain means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Neck pain out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Neck pain in simple terms?

Neck pain, also known as cervicalgia, is a common problem, with two-thirds of the population having neck pain at some point in their lives. Because there is not a universally accepted classification for neck pain, it is difficult to study the different types of pain.

Why does Neck pain matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Neck pain?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Neck pain.