1. Least Effective Exercises Slideshow
2. Dehydration Slideshow
3. First Aid Care and Pain Relief for Minor Injuries

Medical Author:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

View Full Profile

Medical Editor:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

View Full Profile

If your symptoms do not go away as expected or if new symptoms appear, you should seek medical attention without delay.

• Call your doctor if you experience the following symptoms:
• Severe, unremitting neck pain
• Neck pain unaffected by changes in position or pain that is not controlled with appropriate medication
• Severe night neck pain
• Severe, persistent neck muscle spasms
• Inability to perform daily work or activities that you could do prior your illness
• In addition, symptoms suggesting possible injury to the vital structures contained in the neck should prompt early contact with your doctor. These may include the following:
• Weakness
• Numbness
• Tingling or loss of function particularly in the upper extremities
• Difficulty breathing
• Dizziness, headache, or nausea and vomiting
• Ringing in the ears or decreased hearing
• If you are unable to reach your doctor, you should go to a hospital's emergency department without delay for evaluation of any of these types of problems.
• If you get sick or reinjured while your neck pain is present, you should contact your doctor.

You must seek immediate medical attention for any symptom suggesting a problem affecting the nervous system, airway, or spinal cord.

• Symptoms of spinal cord injury
• Bowel or bladder retention or incontinence, that is, inability to control the bowels or bladder
• Inability to urinate
• Leg weakness or any new inability to walk
• Poor balance
• Vertigo
• Dizziness
• Nausea and vomiting
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Any other acute symptoms suggesting a nerve problem
• Evaluation by an orthopedist or neurosurgeon may be required to check for a condition requiring urgent surgical treatment.

Must Read Articles Related to Neck Strain

Shoulder and Neck Pain Shoulder and neck pain may be caused by bursitis, a pinched nerve, whiplash, tendinitis, a herniated disc, or a rotator cuff injury. Symptoms also include weakn...learn more >>

Whiplash Whiplash is a nonmedical term used to describe neck pain following an injury to the soft tissues of your neck (specifically ligaments, tendons, and muscles).learn more >>

See the Entire Neck Strain Topic Guide »