Neck strain, eg, poor sleeping posture, whiplash injury
Herniated disk (discogenic neck pain)
Axial neck pain
Whiplash associated disorder (WAD)
Radiculopathy
Cervical myelopathy
Shoulder disorder
Compression fracture
Osteoarthritis, eg, cervical spondylosis seen on x-ray
Osteomyelitis
Deep neck infection, eg, Ludwig’s angina
Subarachnoid hemorrhage
Meningitis
Migraine
Neoplasm e.g. spinal cord tumor
Metastatic cancer
Rheumatoid arthritis
Ankylosing spondylitis
Spondyloarthropathies
Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis
Dystonia
Trauma
Torticollis
Referred pain
Fibromyalgia
Thoracic outlet syndrome
Temporal (giant cell) arteritis
Spinal stenosis
Fibromyalgia
Thyroiditis
multiple sclerosis
Carotid artery aneurysm or carotid dissection
motor neuron disease
Reference / sources
J Am Board Fam Pract 2004;17:S13–22. Evaluation and Treatment of Posterior Neck Pain in Family Practice. https://www.jabfm.org/content/jabfp/17/suppl_1/S13.full.pdf