If someone has severe, unremitting neck pain or neck pain unaffected by changes in position, that person should see a doctor immediately. Similarly, uncontrollable pain with no relief, severe night neck pain, and persistent neck muscle spasms can also be red flags of something more serious, according to E Medicine Health.
Bornholm disease
This is a viral disease that feels like a vice-grip on the chest and lungs, is intensely painful, and sometimes also causes neck pain, states the website PainScience.com. If you feel like you can’t breathe, you should look into this, although it’s an extremely unlikely diagnosis.
Temporal arteritis
According to PainScience.com, this is an inflammation of arteries in the temple, with a lot of symptoms: severe headache, fever, scalp tenderness, jaw pain, vision trouble, and ringing in the ears are all possible symptoms, along with neck pain. It’s almost unheard of in people younger than 50, and it usually occurs in people with other diseases or infections.
Meningitis
This is a serious viral or bacterial illness that causes inflammation around the tissues of the brain and spinal cord, states Michigan Medicine (from the University of Michigan). Symptoms come on quickly and include severe headache, stiff neck, fever, and sometimes vomiting. The neck stiffness makes it hard or impossible to touch the chin to the chest.
Torticollis
This is caused by severe muscle contraction on one side of the neck, causing the head to be tilted to one side, states Michigan Medicine. The chin is usually rotated toward the opposite side of the neck. Torticollis may be present at birth (congenital) or caused by injury or disease.
Flu
The flu can cause symptoms similar to meningitis, states Michigan Medicine. When neck pain is caused by flu, the neck and the rest of the body tend to ache all over, but severe neck stiffness is absent.
Sources:
https://www.painscience.com/articles/when-to-worry-about-neck-pain-and-when-not-to.php
https://www.uofmhealth.org/health-library/necpn
https://www.emedicinehealth.com/neck_strain/article_em.htm#facts_on_neck_strain
