Neck Soreness Covid
If you’re wondering “Does covid cause neck pain?” then you’ve come to the right place. Unfortunately, covid neck pain is a common symptom of the virus in many patients. It can be very uncomfortable for many patients.
COVID-19 can cause an array of different symptoms, with the most common being cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, fever and muscle pain ranging from mild to severe. Covid muscle pain can be related to hydration status, tension due to increased coughing, and the body’s overall inflammatory response.
Neck Pain Covid Treatment
Treating neck stiffness involves a few different things. The first and foremost is to give your body a chance to recuperate so your body’s immune system can work to fight the virus. Patients should be resting if they have covid. While resting, patients should be vigilant of any other concerning signs or symptoms that may warrant a trip to an emergency room. If you are already resting and that does not seem to be helping, over the counter pain medication may also be helpful.
Common at-home remedies for COVID related neck pain include acetaminophen, ibuprofen, warm showers and heat pads over the affected region. You can also find some relief of covid neck pain with stretching. Stretching should be done only as tolerated.
When To Go To Hospital For Covid Neck Pain
You need to be aware that other chronic and acute conditions also present with neck pain. Some life-threatening causes of neck pain that would warrant a visit to the Emergency Department include neck pain with balance or coordination issues, loss of control of your bladder or bowel, and also, neck pain that has severe headaches and visual changes associated with it. Also, neck pain that happens with head flexion, vomiting, fever, or a change in mental status is also extremely concerning for meningitis. If you have had some other complicating factor such as an injury, then it’s possible your neck pain may also be aggravated by this. Tension, working out or whiplash injuries can also cause neck pain. You should be able to treat most of these from home, but you should always engage the advice of your primary care physician when treating things at home.
Can Covid Cause Neck Pain: Take Home Points
Related: Neon Yellow Pee – What Causes It?
Back of neck pain in covid and neck stiffness are not uncommon symptoms of the covid virus. It is important to distinguish this general achiness from the more severe symptoms of other medical conditions and diseases. If symptoms like mental status changes, vision changes, very high fever, vomiting or other concerning signs accompany your neck pain, then this could be a sign that you need to go to the hospital. Covid has the ability to cause significant mortality and morbidity in certain populations so be sure to seek emergency care if you having trouble breathing or your symptoms do not appear to be getting better.
Source:
Şahin T, Ayyildiz A, Gencer-Atalay K, Akgün C, Özdemir HM, Kuran B. Pain Symptoms in COVID-19.Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2021;100(4):307-312.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33480608/
McCormick A. Severe Neck Pain with Fever: Is it Meningitis?.West J Emerg Med. 2012;13(6):505-506. doi:10.5811/westjem.2011.9.6767
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23358587/
Yüce M, Filiztekin E, Özkaya KG. COVID-19 diagnosis -A review of current methods.Biosens Bioelectron. 2021;172:112752.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33126180/
We discuss products we think are useful to people. If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. Remember to check with your personal physician to see if a product recommended is right for you.