What is Neck Pain and What Causes It?

Posted on: Jun 6, 2025 | 3 mins | Written by: HDFC ERGO Team

What is Neck Pain and What Causes It?

One of the most common types of discomfort affecting people today is neck pain, also known as cervicalgia. If you are wondering what is neck pain, remember that it is a discomfort that you feel in and around the cervical spine (neck) and the spine area.

Identifying the reason for the pain and treating it appropriately can help alleviate the discomfort.

All You Need to Know about Neck Pain

Before identifying the common triggers of neck pain, here are some early neck pain symptoms you should be aware of:

• Headaches

• Constant pain or burning sensation

• Pain radiating to the shoulders and arms

• Increased headache when working on a computer, driving, reading a book, etc.

• Muscle stiffness

• Difficulties while moving or turning your neck

• Numbness or tingling sensation

What Causes Neck Pain?

The most popular triggers for neck pain are:

• Age

As you age, you become prone to bone-degenerative ailments like osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, etc. These are caused when the cartilage around the bones gets damaged due to wear and tear.

• Physical stress

Undue physical stress can lead to neck pain. The stress could be due to extended screen time, intense activities for hours on end, improper neck muscle posture, etc.

• Mental tension

Mental tension and restlessness can cause you to involuntarily twitch your neck muscles. When this continues for a long time, it can lead to the tightening of these muscles, causing acute neck pain and discomfort.

• Injuries

Neck pain can also be caused due to injuries and trauma that damage the soft tissues around the cervical spine. Vertebral injuries and injuries to the nerves of the spinal cord can lead to chronic neck pain.

• Sudden growths

Sometimes, the result of your persistent neck pain can be due to the abnormal growth of cysts, tumours, bone masses, spurs, etc.

• Underlying health conditions

Your underlying health conditions, such as cancer, meningitis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc., can also play a big role in your chronic neck pain.

Conclusion

Your doctor conducts a thorough physical exam and recommends several diagnostic procedures to identify the trigger of your pain. This helps to chart out the right treatment plan.

The diagnostic and treatment procedures for neck pain can be expensive. This is why you need to have a good health insurance plan. The policy covers your medical costs, thereby relieving you of a huge financial burden.

Disclaimer: The above information is for illustrative purposes only. For more details, please refer to the policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales.

Simple Yoga to Reduce Neck Pain

Diagnosis and Treatment of Cervical Spondylosis

Symptoms & Causes of Cervical Spondylosis

Physical Therapy – Importance and Benefits