Neck pain is pain that occurs anywhere from the bottom of your head to the top of your shoulders. It can be so mild that it is merely annoying and distracting. Or it can be so severe that it is unbearable and incapacitating.

Causes

Most neck pain is caused by activities that result in repeated or prolonged movements of the neck's muscles, ligaments, tendons, bones, or joints. Some of the more common causes of neck pain include:

• incomplete rehabilitation of past injuries
• lack of proper and periodic spinal alignments
• improper workstation setup
• poor posture
• prolonged sitting
• improper telephone techniques
• excessive mental stress
• poor diet and nutritional practices
• physical inactivity

Symptoms

The pain may spread to your shoulders, upper back, or arms, or it may cause a headache. You may not be able to move or turn your head and neck normally. Pain often occurs after neck use, may have neck stiffness in the mornings.
There may be tender points along the affected vertebrae. There may be pressure on the nerves, producing pain, tingling, numbness, or an electrical sensation in the fingers, hands, arms, or shoulders. With trauma and severe neck damage, there may be Low Blood Pressure, difficulty breathing, and coma.

Treatment

You can treat neck pain by:

• Applying light heat can relax the muscles and reduce pain.
• Massage with oils or creams.
• Acupuncture and acupressure can help with pain and muscle relaxation.
• Physical therapist can show you stretching exercises that help the stiffness and pain.
• Non Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs can reduce irritation and swelling around the damaged area and reduce pain and stiffness.
• For severe muscular neck stiffness, muscle relaxants such as Baclofen may be used.