The Most 8 Common Causes Of a Stiff Neck

It is easy to identify stiff neck problems. It is normally recognized due to soreness and the difficulty faced in neck movement. There are several other conditions that may arise as a result of the stiff neck such as arm pain, shoulder pain or a headache. These conditions may not allow the neck to move backward or sideways. Stiff neck is indeed a very painful body condition.

You may feel neck stiffness symptoms for a week or for a few days, and there is a chance that the pain may reoccur, ranging from a less painful condition to a severely painful condition. While in some cases, neck stiffness tends to become a chronic state if left untreated, in most cases, like acute neck stiffness, you can overcome the pain due to the recuperative and durable characteristics of the cervical spine. A stiff neck is not comfortable. It makes you feel tight around your neck and you can not move your neck with ease.

What Your Symptoms Is Telling You?

• You woke up with a stiff neck. Consider the experience a wake-up call for you to pay more attention to your sleeping habits.
• Of course, car accidents falls, arthritis and even a cold draft can cause a stiff neck. But it’s far more likely that you fell asleep in a position that strained the joints of the neck, resulting in inflammation and stiffness.
• “If you take any joint, put it at an odd angle and leave it that way, you’ll have stiffness,” says Tab Blackburn, a physical therapist and vice president of the Human Performance and Rehabilitation Centers in Columbus, Georgia.
• Other possible causes for the stiff neck—like influenza, polio, and meningitis—are far more serious. These conditions, however, announce themselves with other unpleasant symptoms, including nausea, headache, and swollen glands.

Causes Of Stiff Neck

There are different causes of a stiff neck. The most common one is a strain on the neck muscles. The stiffness can linger and refuse to go. This means that it is as a result of other causes of the stiff neck which requires medical attention. Here are causes of a stiff neck:

Injury to your neck: If you are involved in an accident where your neck was moved violently, you are likely to have a stiff neck. The muscles get injured and this results in the painful stiff neck. You can involve in an accident when playing a game or in your car.

Osteoarthritis: This happens to the old people due wearing and tearing of your joints. You can also get affected in other joints apart from a stiff neck. This limits your movements.

Rheumatoid arthritis: This disorder that makes your joints painful. This leads to a stiff neck and the pain is usually too much to bear. You have to take medications to relieve the pain.

Pinched nerve: This is caused by arthritis and occurs when your spinal cord is narrowed by the health condition. This makes you get a stiff neck that spreads to your arms and legs. This is very uncomfortable and you have to see you, doctor.

Emotional stress: Stress can make your muscle tense. When you get a stiff neck, the first cause to consider should be emotional stress.

Muscle spasm: Sometimes your muscles may contract and give you a stiff neck. This usually happens when your nerves convey a message to your muscles.

Meningitis: Meningitis is a deadly disease where fluid surrounds the brain. Along with a headache, high fever, sleepiness, and nausea, a stiff neck can be an indication pointing towards meningitis. It is a bacterial infection that causes the outer protective membranes of the spinal cord and brain to be reddened. There are several other infections that can cause neck stiffness such as meningococcal disease – a cervical spine infection. Whenever you get a stiff neck along with high fever, you must seek medical assistance immediately.

Other infections: A stiff neck that is accompanied by vomiting and high sensitivity to light can be a sign of flu. This is a viral infection that can be treated.

Always seek medical care if you feel the stiff neck is severe. The doctor can carry out some tests to know the causes of stiff neck and make sure that you are treated any underlying health problems. This will help you recover and feel comfortable with your neck.