Pain or Limitation of Neck Movements

CLINICAL DIAGNOSTIC MANUAL

Pain or limitation of neck movements are common symptoms that can affect people of all ages. These symptoms may result from various conditions, ranging from postural issues and acute injuries to chronic and congenital diseases.

Proper evaluation of symptoms and the use of diagnostic tests are essential to identify the underlying cause and provide appropriate treatment.

Condition	Symptoms and Clinical Signs	Suspected Diagnosis	Confirmatory Diagnosis
Postural Neck Pain	Neck pain and stiffness, especially after maintaining an incorrect posture for prolonged periods	History of poor posture and associated pain	Clinical evaluation, typically no additional tests needed
Whiplash Syndrome	Acute neck pain, stiffness, muscle spasms, headache, dizziness	History of acceleration-deceleration trauma, such as in car accidents	X-rays to rule out fractures, MRI to assess soft tissue damage
Spasmodic Torticollis	Involuntary contraction of neck muscles, causing abnormal and painful posture	History of recurrent muscle spasms and abnormal neck posture	Clinical evaluation, EMG to assess abnormal muscle activity
Congenital Torticollis	Head tilting to one side with rotation to the opposite side, present from birth or early infancy	History of abnormal posture since infancy	Clinical evaluation, muscle ultrasound in cases of congenital torticollis
Cervical Rib	Neck and shoulder pain, possible nerve or blood vessel compression	History of neck pain with neurological or vascular symptoms in the arm	Cervical X-ray showing additional rib
Cervical Spondylosis	Chronic pain, stiffness, crepitus with neck movement, cervical radiculopathy	History of chronic neck pain and stiffness, especially in older individuals	X-rays showing degenerative changes, MRI to assess nerve compression
Cervical Disc Prolapse	Acute neck pain, pain radiating to the arm, weakness, paraesthesia	History of acute pain and neurological symptoms	MRI showing disc herniation