What Makes the Left Side of Your Neck Hurt?

Common causes of pain on the left side of the neck

Inflammation

When your body gets injured or infected, it responds with inflammation. This can lead to pain, swelling, stiffness, numbness, and other discomforts.

For short-term pain and inflammation, you can use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are often available over the counter.

Muscle strain

If you spend too much time hunched over your computer or holding your phone between your ear and shoulder, your neck muscles may get stressed, causing pain on one side.

You can usually treat muscle strains at home with rest, ice, compression, and elevation (RICE).

Pinched nerve

A pinched nerve in your neck (cervical radiculopathy) happens when a nerve gets irritated or squeezed. This can result in numbness and pain in the shoulder if it’s on the left side.

There are nine remedies for a pinched nerve, including exercises to relieve neck discomfort.

Whiplash

Whiplash occurs when your head is forcefully moved back and forth, like in a football tackle or a vehicle accident. It often leads to a painful neck injury, with stiffness and headaches being common symptoms.

Over-the-counter pain medications like acetaminophen or aspirin can help, and more severe cases may need prescription painkillers and muscle relaxants. Applying ice or heat is also recommended.

You might be given a foam collar to stabilize your neck, but use it only for the first couple of days, and not more than three hours at a time.

Acute torticollis

Acute torticollis happens when neck muscles suddenly contract, causing your head to twist to one side. It usually causes pain on one side and can be triggered by awkward sleeping positions, poor posture, or prolonged exposure to cold.

To relieve the pain, try traction, stretching exercises, massage, and applying heat.

Causes of pain on the left side of the neck that are not as commonly known

Cervical Fracture

The seven bones at the top of your spine are called cervical vertebrae. If these bones break, often due to rough sports, falls, car crashes, or serious injuries, it’s called a cervical fracture or broken neck. The most serious risk is harming the spinal cord.

Cervical Disc Degeneration

Between your spine bones are discs that act like shock absorbers. These discs have a tough outer layer (annulus fibrosis) and a fluid-filled center (nucleus pulpous). As you age, these discs become less flexible. If the outer layer tears, it can lead to neck pain as the inner material puts pressure on the spinal cord or nerves.

Herniated Cervical Disc

When the tough outer layer of a cervical disc tears, the inner material can push through, pressing on nerves and the spinal cord. This can cause neck pain and may extend into the arms, causing numbness, weakness, or tingling.

Meningitis

Meningitis, often caused by a virus, can also be bacterial, fungal, or parasitic. It causes neck pain, stiffness, and headaches. Untreated bacterial meningitis can lead to brain swelling and seizures.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

This inflammatory disease damages joint linings, causing pain, stiffness, numbness, and muscle weakness. The neck pain may be on one side or in the middle, depending on the affected joint.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis, a bone-thinning disease, raises the risk of painful fractures in the cervical vertebrae, even without symptoms.

Fibromyalgia

The cause is unknown, but fibromyalgia can bring pain to the neck and body, making it challenging to treat.

Spinal Stenosis

This is a narrowing of the spinal canal, pinching the spinal cord or nerves. It’s caused by osteoarthritis and can occur in the neck and all the way down the spine.

Heart Attack

Neck pain can sometimes signal a heart attack, especially in women. Other symptoms include jaw, arm, or back pain, along with shortness of breath, nausea, and sweating. Women are more likely to report non-chest pain as a heart attack symptom.

Uncommon reasons for pain on the left side of the neck.

Spinal Tumors

A spinal tumor is an abnormal growth that can develop within the spinal canal or the bones of your spine. This growth may be noncancerous (not cancer) or cancerous and often leads to pain at the tumor site. Another common sign is muscle weakness, and symptoms tend to get worse until the tumor is treated.

Congenital Abnormalities

Various conditions can affect newborns, causing pain on the left side of the neck and similar symptoms. These conditions include congenital torticollis, where the neck is injured during delivery, and congenital vertebral defects, which involve abnormally shaped cervical vertebrae.

When to consult a healthcare provider

If your left neck hurts for more than a week and nothing seems to help, it’s essential to see a doctor.

If you start experiencing pain in your arms or legs, or if your neck feels numb or tingly, don’t wait — consult a doctor promptly. Also, if your neck pain comes with a headache, it’s crucial to get it checked out soon.

If your neck pain is from something obvious, like a car crash, fall, or sports injury, don’t delay — seek medical help right away.

How is left-side neck pain diagnosed?

When you visit a doctor for left neck pain, they’ll start by checking your body movements and feeling for sensitive or swollen areas. They’ll also ask about your medical history and any other symptoms you might have.

To get a clearer picture, the doctor might suggest some additional tests like X-rays, MRI, or CT scans. These tests help the doctor see what’s going on inside your neck and understand the cause of your pain.

Takeaway

Pain on the left side of your neck that doesn’t come from a specific injury or condition is pretty common. Around two-thirds of people experience this kind of neck pain at some point, especially as they get older.

Usually, if your neck hurts because of muscle strain or something like that, it goes away with some rest in a few days. But if it sticks around for more than a week or comes with other issues, it’s a good idea to see a doctor. It could still be just a slow-healing muscle strain, but getting a proper medical checkup will help you figure out if there might be something more serious going on. And that’s better than trying to guess.

Disclaimer:

Dr. Berner does not diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical diseases or conditions; instead, he analyzes and corrects the structure of his patients with Foundational Corrections to improve their overall quality of life. He works with their physicians, who regulate their medications. This blog post is not designed to provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment, or services to you or any other individual. The information provided in this post or through linkages to other sites is not a substitute for medical or professional care. You should not use the information in place of a visit, consultation, or the advice of your physician or another healthcare provider. Foundation Chiropractic and Dr. Brett Berner are not liable or responsible for any advice, the course of treatment, diagnosis, or any other information, services, or products you obtain through this article or others.