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Three reasons you may have a stiff neck and nausea

Stiff Neck and Nausea | Causes
Table of contents

A stiff neck is an occasional annoyance for some, but for others, it’s a daily problem. Matters are even more difficult when the neck stiffness is accompanied by nausea.

In some cases, a stiff neck with nausea can be a symptom of meningitis. This is an inflammation of the meninges, which is a covering that runs along the spinal cord and the brain. This kind of infection also causes fever, vomiting, light sensitivity and confusion. If you have a stiff neck and nausea, it’s best to be safe and have an examination for meningitis so you can get treatment immediately if necessary.

If you don’t have meningitis, it’s likely your stiff neck and nausea are related to one of the following three conditions.

Three common causes of a stiff neck and nausea

  1. Sprains and strains — Your neck has a large amount of tissue and many muscles in it that help support and move the head and cervical spine (the part of your spine in the neck). When one of these are stretched or torn, you can experience a stiff neck. This tension can increase pressure on the spinal column, which could even lead to nausea.
  2. Whiplash — Whiplash is sort of a package deal of neck injuries. It occurs when your head is violently jerked frontward and backward like a whip cracking. This usually occurs in motor vehicle accidents. With whiplash, you may have strains, sprains and spine injuries that all contribute to stiffness and nausea.
  3. Arthritis — Arthritis is the breaking down of cartilage in your joints that causes pain when using the joints. This can occur in the vertebrae of your spine, which causes pressure to increase on the nerves running through the spinal cord. This can lead to pain and stiffness in the neck accompanied by nausea. 

 

Visit Advent Physical Therapy for stiff neck treatment

Is your constant stiff neck making it difficult to get through each day? It’s time to talk to a physical therapist to discover how therapeutic exercises and other natural treatments can help. Contact our team today for more information about the causes of a stiff neck and nausea or to schedule an initial appointment.