Understanding Neck and Shoulder Pain (2024)

FAQs

Understanding Neck and Shoulder Pain? ›

“Pain from the shoulder area can sometimes be coming from your neck. This is because the nerves and muscles that arise from you neck pass through your shoulder on their way down the arm. The nerves from your neck (Nerve Roots) also travel down your arm (via Brachial Plexus). So, neck pain may extend down your arm.

“Pain from the shoulder area can sometimes be coming from your neck. This is because the nerves and muscles that arise from you neck pass through your shoulder on their way down the arm. The nerves from your neck (Nerve Roots) also travel down your arm (via Brachial Plexus). So, neck pain may extend down your arm.

Contact a health care provider if neck pain: Is severe. Persists for several days without relief. Spreads down arms or legs.

Issues involving your heart, lungs, abdominal organs, and spinal cord can all cause shoulder pain and sometimes neck pain. Take your symptoms seriously and see your healthcare provider as soon as you can after neck or shoulder pain starts.

The axillary nerve starts in your neck and extends to your shoulder. It causes movement and sensation in your shoulder and the back of your upper arm. Injuries to this nerve can affect your ability to rotate your arm or lift it.

Common causes include physical strain, poor posture, mental stress, osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, herniated disk, pinched nerve, tumors and other health conditions.

When your neck is sore, you may have trouble moving it, especially to one side. Many people describe this as having a stiff neck. If neck pain involves nerves, such as a muscle spasm pinching on a nerve or a slipped disk pressing on a nerve, you may feel numbness, tingling, or weakness in your arm, hand, or elsewhere.

For most neck pain, it's okay to try self-care strategies before seeking medical help. However, if your neck pain is so severe you can't sit still, or if it is accompanied by any of the following symptoms, contact a medical professional right away: Fever, headache, and neck stiffness.

This may be because the effects of gravity when laying down cause the muscles and tendons in the shoulder to settle in a slightly different position, decreasing blood flow to the area and aggravating the pain of tendon issues like tendonitis.

What diseases start with neck pain? ›

Neck pain may be caused by arthritis, disc degeneration, narrowing of the spinal canal, muscle inflammation, strain or trauma. In rare cases, it may be a sign of cancer or meningitis.

Specialists Who Treat Neck Pain

These include pain medicine specialists like Dr. Waldman; physiatrists; neurologists; sports medicine doctors; spine surgeons, and physical therapists. “With a good physical therapist and participation in a corrective exercise program, most people will get better,” Dr.

This causes symptoms such as sharp pain in your neck, shoulder, arm, hand, or back. You may also have tingling or numbness. Sometimes it makes your arm weaker. The symptoms may get worse when you turn your head, cough, or sneeze.

What is the best sleeping position for neck pain? Two sleeping positions are easiest on the neck: on your side or on your back. If you sleep on your back, choose a rounded pillow to support the natural curve of your neck, with a flatter pillow cushioning your head.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, can relieve shoulder pain by reducing inflammation in the shoulder joint. Ibuprofen and naproxen are two NSAIDs doctors commonly recommend. If over-the-counter NSAIDs don't relieve your pain, your doctor may prescribe a stronger dose for weeks or months.

Unusual, persistent neck pain

A vertebral artery tear may feel like something sharp is stuck in the base of your skull. If you experience such pain — especially if you also have stroke symptoms such as dizziness, double vision, jerky eye movements, unsteadiness while walking, or slurred speech — call 911 immediately.

However, if you start experiencing neck pain at the same time as other symptoms that don't appear to have a cause, such as incontinence, you should schedule an appointment with your doctor. A high fever, difficulty breathing and muscle weakness may indicate a medical emergency.

Medicines like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), corticosteroids, or stronger pain medicines help reduce nerve swelling and relieve pain. Corticosteroids may also be given as an injection, which will also reduce inflammation and pain allowing the nerve to heal.