Most cases of neck and shoulder pain is due to sprains and strains from sports, overexertion, or incorrect posture.
Soft tissue injuriesNeck and shoulder pain is often due to an injury of the soft tissue. Soft tissue includes your muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The term is used to distinguish it from the hard tissue of bones and cartilage.
Soft tissue injuries can cause many kinds of pain, including:
stiffnessheadachemuscle spasmsRotator cuff tearThe rotator cuff is a group of four tendons that hold your upper arm (humerus) into your shoulder blade.
A rotator cuff tear can be caused by a singular injury, such as a fall, or by repeated stress over time, which may be during sports or repeated overhead work.
Aging can also contribute to rotator cuff tears. Reduced blood supply can slow down the body’s natural ability to repair damage. Also, bone spurs can form at the joint, damaging the rotator cuff tendons.
A sudden tear will usually cause intense pain in your shoulder and immediate weakness in your upper arm.
Tears due to repetitive use may cause shoulder pain and arm weakness over time. Activities that require reaching up or behind, such as combing your hair, may become painful.
Learn about rotator cuff repair.
WhiplashWhiplash is the tearing of muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your neck from a sudden movement of your neck and head. It typically occurs in an auto collision.
Other common causes include:
contact sportsfallinga blow to the headSymptoms can take several hours or longer to appear, and include:
neck pain and stiffnessheadachesdizzinessblurred visionconstant tirednessMost people recover fully within a few weeks or months but some can he chronic pain and headaches for years afterward.
Learn about treating whiplash at home.
Cervical spondylosis (cervical osteoarthritis)Cervical spondylosis, or cervical osteoarthritis, is the name given to age-related wear of the spinal disks of your neck. It’s a very common condition, affecting more than 85% of people over age 60 years.
Your spine is made up of bony segments known as vertebrae. In between each vertebra is soft material known as disks.
As you age, your disks lose water content and become stiffer. Your vertebrae move closer together. This can irritate the lining of the joints in a condition known as cervical osteoarthritis.
As part of the arthritis, you can also develop bone spurs.
Symptoms of cervical osteoarthritis typically include neck pain and stiffness. In more severe cases, it can lead to a pinched nerve.
Pinched nerve (cervical radiculopathy)A pinched nerve in your neck can cause pain that radiates toward your shoulder. This is also known as cervical radiculopathy.
Cervical radiculopathy most often comes from changes in your spine due to aging or injury.
Bone spurs can cause a pinching of the nerves that run through the hollow space in the vertebrae. If this happens in your neck, it can cause a pinched nerve.
Herniated disks can also cause a pinched nerve.
Symptoms include:
tingling or numbness in your fingers or handweakness in the muscles of your arm, shoulder, or handLearn about home remedies for a pinched nerve.
Herniated diskWhen cervical disks shrink, vertebrae come closer together and can sometimes lead to one or more of the discs getting damaged.
If the soft inner portion of a disk protrudes through its harder exterior, it’s called a slipped, prolapsed, or herniated disk. This can cause pain in the neck and shoulders.
Symptoms of a slipped or herniated disc include:
painnumbnesstinglingachinga burning sensation in your neckLearn about herniated disk surgery.
Posture and sleeping positionHolding your neck in an awkward position for a prolonged time can lead to strains in the muscles and tendons of your neck and shoulders.
Some of the postures and activities that commonly contribute to neck and shoulder pain are:
sleeping on too high a pillow or a stack of pillowsgrinding or clenching your teeth at nightsitting at a computer or over a phone with your neck strained forward or tilted upsuddenly jerking your neck during exerciseLearn about waking up with neck pain.
Heart attackWhile sudden pain in the chest or arms may be a sign of a heart attack, pain and numbness in the neck, back, or jaw are also possible symptoms.
Medical emergencyCall 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if you feel sudden pain in the neck, back, or jaw that comes on without trauma.
Stable anginaPain in the shoulders, neck, back, or jaw can also be a symptom of stable angina. It occurs when the heart isn’t getting enough oxygen due to a narrowing of the coronary arteries.
There’s usually pain in the center of the chest, which can spread to the left arm, shoulders, neck, back, and jaw.
Prompt diagnosis and treatment is essential.
Stroke or cervical artery dissectionNeck pain can be a symptom of a serious type of stroke called cervical artery dissection. This condition is rare but it’s one of the most common causes of stroke in people under the age of 50 years.
Symptoms of a stroke include:
drooping of the facearm numbness of weaknessdifficulty speaking or slurred speechvision troubledifficulty walkingMedical emergencyIf you believe you or someone else may be hing a stroke, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
Broken collarbone (clicle)The collarbone (clicle) is the slightly curved bone at the top of your chest that runs from your shoulder blades to your rib cage.
Clicle fractures often happen when you fall on your outstretched arm.
Signs of a broken clicle include:
intense painan inability to lift your arma sagging shoulderbruising, swelling, and tendernessLearn about causes of collarbone pain.
Broken shoulder blade (scapula)The shoulder blade (scapula) is the large, triangular bone that connects your upper arm to the collarbone.
Scapula fractures can happen in high-impact injuries such as motorcycle or motor vehicle collisions.
Symptoms include intense pain when you move your arm and swelling at the back of your shoulder.
Learn more about shoulder blade pain.
Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)Frozen shoulder is a condition where it becomes increasingly difficult and painful to move your shoulder.
The cause is unclear, but people between 40 and 60 years and people with diabetes are at greatest risk.
The main symptom of frozen shoulder is a dull or aching pain usually located over the outer shoulder and sometimes the upper arm.
Learn about massages and stretches for a frozen shoulder.
Shoulder tendinitis or bursitisTendons are strong fibers that attach muscles to your bone. Bursa are fluid-filled sacs that prevent friction at joints.
Inflammation of the tendons (tendinitis) and the bursa (bursitis) are possible causes of shoulder pain, but pain can occur anywhere that inflammation occurs.
The tendons and bursa around your rotator cuff are especially prone to inflammation that causes pain and stiffness around your shoulder.
Shoulder separationShoulder separation is an injury to the joint where the collarbone meets the highest point (acromion) of your shoulder blade. The joint is called the acromioclicular (AC) joint.
Injury to the AC joint commonly happens when you fall directly on your shoulder. Severity can range from a minor sprain to a complete separation that shows a large bump or bulge above the shoulder.
Pain can occur in the surrounding areas.
Learn about AC joint surgery.
Shoulder and neck referred painBecause of the close connection of the nerves serving them, shoulder and neck pain are often mistaken for one another.
You may feel a pain in the shoulder that’s actually coming from your neck, and vice versa. This is called referred pain.
Some of the symptoms of referred pain from your neck include:
stabbing, burning, or electric-like tingling painpain that radiates to your shoulder blade, elbow, and handpain that radiates down your arm when you twist your neckpain that’s relieved when you support your neckLearn more about referred pain.
Gallstones or enlarged gallbladderPain in your right shoulder can be a sign of a gallstone blocking a duct in your gallbladder. You may also feel pain in your back between your shoulder blades. The pain may be sudden and sharp.
You may or may not feel the more common symptoms of gallstones or gallbladder inflammation. These are:
sudden pain in your upper right abdomen pain in the center of your abdomen, below your breast bonenausea or vomiting CancerIn some cases persistent neck pain can be a symptom of head or neck cancer.
The most common causes of head and neck cancer are excessive use of alcohol and tobacco. These account for around 75%.
Pain in the shoulder can also be a symptom of lung cancer. Breast cancer may also cause neck and shoulder pain.