Neck pain can occur anywhere in your neck, from the bottom of your head to the top of your shoulders. It can spread to your upper back or arms. It may limit how much you can move your head and neck.

You may feel a knot, stiffness, or severe pain in your neck. The pain may spread to your shoulders, upper back, or arms. You may get a headache. You may not be able to move or turn your head and neck easily. If there is pressure on a spinal nerve root, you might have pain that shoots down your arm. You may also have numbness, tingling, or weakness in your arm.

Normal Neck Range of Motion:

Forward Flexion: The chin should reach the chest. Any limitation is caused by shortening.

Lateral Rotation: This should be 60 degrees, but with persuasion the chin should almost reach the anterior shoulder.

Lateral Tilting: This should be 45 degrees. Limitation is indicated by palpable shortening in the contralateral muscles, especially the scalenes.

Treatment of the neck should include treatment to the shoulders and upper limbs. Often, the entire spine is treated. Not infrequently, a tightn neck is secondary to the chin-up, head forward posture. Check to see if the neck is hyper-extended at C2-3-4, where there will be a deeply recessed spinous process.