Neck Pain Differential Diagnoses
From WikiMSK
Differential Diagonses
Chronic Neck Pain
- Zygapophyseal joint pain (~40%)
- Cervical disc pain (~40%)
- Combined ZA joint and disc pain (~20%)
- Systemic causes such as rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis.
- Infections (bones, joints, discs, epidural abscess, and meningitis)
- Tumours
- DISH and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament
- Chronic BPPV
Acute Neck Pain
Neck pain can result from any innervated cervical spine structure
- "Cervical sprain"
- Discogenic pain
- Zygapophyseal joint pain
- C0/C1 and C1/C2 lateral joints
- Muscle sprain
- Segmental dysfunction
- Vascular disorders: dissection of vertebral artery, internal carotid artery, or aneurysm of the descending thoracic aorta.
- Fracture
- DISH and ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament
- Tumours
- Infections (bones, joints, discs, epidural abscess, and meningitis)
- Epidural haematoma
- Calcific tendinitis of the longus colli muscles
Cervicogenic Headache
- C1
- Joints: Median C1/2, C0/1,
- Ligaments: Transverse C1/2 ligament, Alar ligament
- Muscles: Prevertebral, sternomastoid, trapezius, suboccipital
- Dura: Upper spinal cord, posterior cranial fossa
- Arteries: Vertebral and internal carotid arteries
- C2
- Joints: Lateral C1/2
- Muscles: Semispinalis, Splenius
- C2
- Joints: C2/3 ZA joint, C2/3 disc
- Muscles: Mutifidus, semispinalis
See Also
