Your neck is made up of vertebrae (bones of the spine), cartilages, ligaments and muscles. Any one of them may be the cause of your neck pain. In this article, we will discuss some of the things that can be the reason why your neck feels achy and sore.

Do take note that neck pain usually goes away on its own after a couple of days, in particular if it’s nothing serious such as something that is caused by muscular tension or mild muscular injury such as a muscle strain. The intake of OTC painkilling medications and doing some home remedies such as applying ice and mild stretching exercises can help you feel better in no time.

However, it’s a different story if neck pain persists for several days or seems to worsen — such warrants a visit to your doctor in order to have the cause identified.

Feel free to share this article on your various social media sites afterwards. Because neck pain is an issue that’s very common, your family members and friends who are experiencing it will surely be glad that you reposted this.

Muscle Tension

Is your everyday life stressful? Then it may be the one responsible for your achy neck. Stress can cause your muscles, especially those that are in your neck as well as shoulders, to tense up. If such happens for long periods of time, it’s not unlikely for your neck to feel painful.

Being anxious all the time, by the way, can also cause your neck muscles to become tensed.

Muscle Strain

According to doctors, muscle strain is the primary reason why a lot of people seek professional help in order to have their bout of neck pain ended. Put simply, muscle strain is caused by having the muscles stretched too far — sometimes to the point that they develop tears.

Usually, muscle strain is brought about by having a poor posture. It’s also very much possible for you to strain the muscles in your neck if you sleep in an awkward position.

Neck Injuries

Earlier, the various structures in your neck were enumerated. Any one of them can become injured and thus cause your neck to feel achy. Injury to the neck can be due to the likes of sports, vehicular accidents and accidental falls. An injury resulting from the sudden jerking of the head is what’s referred to as whiplash.

In severe cases, it’s possible for the vertebrae in the neck to become fractured, which may also damage the spinal cord.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Sometimes neck pain is brought about by the person’s immune system itself. Such is the case with rheumatoid arthritis, which is one of the more than 100 types of arthritis. Needless to say, neck pain and swelling can be experienced by someone who has rheumatoid arthritis of the neck.

Mild to moderate cases can be remedied via OTC drugs and home remedies, although severe cases may sometimes warrant surgery.

Herniated Disc

In between your vertebrae is a fluid-filled disc that makes it possible for your entire spine to move without trouble. Sometimes those discs can move out of place, resulting in what’s known as herniated disc or slipped disc. Such can cause pain because the concerned disc can cause irritation of the neighboring nerve or muscle.

A disc in the cervical spine (neck part of the spine) that moves out of place can certainly cause neck pain.

Meningitis

Your brain and spinal cord are surrounded by membranes called meninges. There are instances in which the meninges become inflamed, and such is referred to by doctors as meningitis. It’s important to note that meningitis, especially the kind that’s bacterial in nature, is regarded as a medical emergency.

Some of the most common symptoms of meningitis include a stiff neck, headache, sensitivity to light, confusion, fever, nausea and vomiting.

WARNING: None of the above pieces of information should be considered as medical advice that only a health care provider can give. If your neck pain refuses to go away on its own after a few days or seems to intensify or comes with a few other unusual symptoms, make sure that you step foot inside the office of your doctor as soon as you can.