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Fix Your Neck Pain
Neck pain
Also called Stiff neck, Tech neck, Crick in the neck
Who it's forA man aged 18 to 45 whose neck and upper back hurt from the desk or from training.
When to see a doctor
- Call 911 now: a stiff neck with a high temperature, a bad headache, or a rash that does not fade when pressed.
- Also 911: new problems walking, loss of bladder or bowel control, or sudden clumsiness, such as fumbling buttons.
- Also 911: a face that droops on one side, arms that cannot be held up, or slurred speech.
- Also 911: chest pain spreading to the neck or jaw.
- Also 911, a torn neck artery: a ripping or tearing feeling in the neck, with double vision, sudden drop attacks, vertigo or a headache.
- A hard fall, crash or dive, then neck pain: get checked the same day, even with no other sign.
- Urgent care or your doctor the same day: after a neck injury, tingling, weak hands, arms or legs, trouble walking, or an electric-shock feeling.
- Urgent too: severe neck pain that starts suddenly or gets worse fast, a heavy or weak arm, or pins and needles in an arm with neck pain.
- Your doctor soon: fever, weight loss, past cancer, or night pain that rest does not ease. The same for morning stiffness that eases with exercise.
- Your doctor: neck pain or stiffness that has not gone after a few weeks, or painkillers that have not worked.
I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. This is self-education. Every dose on this page is the one a trial or a label used, quoted from it. It is not a prescription. Talk to a physician who has your history before any medicine or procedure. Call 911 at once for a stiff neck with fever, or clumsy hands and trouble walking.