What Causes Stiff Neck?

Stiff neck can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'worrying' to 'critical'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose stiff neck, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "stiff neck" as a symptom. Here are eight possibilities:

Cervical Arthritis
Encephalitis
Meningitis
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Stress
A Subarachnoid Hemorrhage
Ankylosing Spondylitis
Possible Urgent Medical Need

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

high diastolic blood pressure

breast soreness during cycle

black/tarry stools

being able to stay up late

sugar/sweet craving

rheumatoid arthritis

slight neck pain

low lymphocyte count

reduced mental clarity

an average-stress lifestyle

recent onset neck pain

attempting suicide

... and more than 60 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of stiff neck:

Cause	Probability	Status
Meningitis	99%	Confirm
Rheumatoid Arthritis	20%	Unlikely
A Subarachnoid Hemorrhage	14%	Unlikely
Stress	4%	Ruled out
Ankylosing Spondylitis	4%	Ruled out
Possible Urgent Medical Need	0%	Ruled out
Encephalitis	0%	Ruled out
Cervical Arthritis	0%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate neck pain/stiffness, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

If you have a stiff (hard-to-turn) neck, how far can you turn your neck until the pain or resistance becomes too much?

Possible responses:

→ Don't know
→ My neck is not stiff
→ I can move my neck quite well, but not all the way
→ I can move my neck a little, with difficulty
→ I can not move my neck

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate no neck stiffness, slight stiff neck, stiff neck or severe stiff neck, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

A Potentially Urgent Medical Need

A very stiff neck can indicate a potentially life-threatening condition, such as meningitis, encephalitis or a subarachnoid hemorrage.

Ankylosing Spondylitis

Cervical Arthritis

Encephalitis

Meningitis

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Stress

Stress can cause the neck muscles to tighten and become stiff.

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage