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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