Your neck muscles are part of a complex musculoskeletal system that connects the base of your skull to your torso. Like all muscles, your neck muscles have lots of tiny fibers that contract (get smaller), allowing you to move your head and other parts of your body. Sheaths of tough connective tissue hold the fibers together. Because the muscles in your neck work all the time, they tend to be tense. When a muscle gets tight it can cause pain.
You can injure your neck muscles by spraining or straining them. A neck strain can also hurt the tendons, which are bands of fibrous tissue that connect muscle to bone. Neck sprains can be caused by sudden force, such as a violent collision or blow. This can stretch or tear the neck muscles and tendons, and may cause the symptoms of whiplash, which is a type of neck injury. Symptoms of neck strain include sharp pain that doesn’t go away with rest, and stiffness that makes moving your neck painful.
Neck pain can also be a sign of other problems, such as a pinched nerve or fractured cervical spine. Your doctor can diagnose these problems with x-rays and an MRI. Treatment includes over-the-counter or prescription pain relievers, physical therapy, and injections. If your pain doesn’t respond to these treatments, your doctor may give you an epidural steroid injection or cervical nerve block. These injections put cortisone, a powerful anti-inflammatory medicine, into the bony spinal canal. They may control pain caused by irritated nerve roots.