Neck pain can have multiple causes. Many structures in the neck can give rise to pain. A pain in the neck could also be due to radiation of the pain from a disease at other place.

Most of the time cause of neck can be understood and found easily. But at times the diagnosis becomes difficult. It is important to be aware of all the causes including rare ones to accurately diagnose the disease.

Here is a list of conditions that might cause neck pain due to direct or indirect involvement.

Soft Tissue

Pharynx: Pharyngitis, Ludwig’s angina, inflamed pharyngeal cyst (branchial cleft remnants)
Tonsils: tonsillitis, neoplasm
Tongue: ulcers, neoplasm
Esophagus: inflamed diverticulum, peptic esophagitis, radiation esophagitis

Skin and subcutaneous tissues: furuncle, carbuncle, erysipelas, soft-tissue calcemia of the first and second cervical vertebrae

Glands

Thyroid gland: acute, suppurative thyroiditis, subacute thyroiditis with pain radiating to the ear, hemorrhage
Salivary gland: mumps, suppurative protitis, calculus in duct
Lymph node: acute adenitis, chronic conditions (Hodgkin’s disease, scrofula, gummas, actinoycosis carcinomatous metastases)

Blood Vessels

Carotodynia: carotid body tumor, subclavian artery aneurysm

Bone and Ligaments

Mandible: fracture, osteomyelitis, periodonitis
Cervical vertebrae: Whiplash, subluxation, acute or subacute fracture, spondylosis, primary metastatic neoplasm, osteomyelitis, tuberculosis
Ligamentous: rupture, cervical spine strain

Joints

Temporomandibular joint: associated with myofascial pain syndrome in neck
Facet joint: facet joint syndrome and dislocation infectious arthritis
Occipital neuralgia: with C1, C2 arthrosis syndrome

Discs

Herniated intervertebral disc

Muscles

General: myofascial pain syndrome, viral myalgia, fibrositis (transient stiff neck), hematoma, intramuscular gummas, calcific tendonitis of the musculus longus colli, relex spasm (meningitis, adenitis, acute pharyngitis)
Sternocleidomastoid: torticollis (acquired, congenital)

Compression Syndromes

Anterior scalenus syndrome, costoclavicular syndrome, pectoralis minor (hyperabduction) syndrome

Nerves

Cervical herpes zoster, spinal-cord tumor, epidural abscess or hematoma, poliomyelitis, occipital neuralgia, suprascupalr neuralgia, reflex sympathetic dystrophy

Referred Pain

Bronchial tumor, Pancoast’s tumor, angina from the sixth cervical dermatomal band, spontaneous pneumomediastinum.

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