Problems with your neck can cause pain locally and in areas you may not associate with coming from your neck. Headache, arm or chest pain or tingling in the arm or fingers can all come from the joints of the neck. This is why a strain to a disc can be mistaken for shoulder ache. Likewise, mechanical issues elsewhere, such as trouble with your lower back may cause you to sit or stand differently leading to a pain in your neck.

Sedentary jobs such as driving or time at a computer will make your neck work differently

Neck pain is often caused by a forward-chin posture as we then tend to hinge or look up at our computer screen or environment.  This can irritate joints in the neck and cause symptoms. Using your story we can understand your problem and get to the bottom of your pain. Only then can we successfully plan a course of action to get you well again.

X-rays and MRI scans can detect serious neck injuries but they don’t usually help in ordinary neck pain

They may even be misleading and show ‘degeneration’ or ‘spondylotic change’ which is normal wear and tear.  However this explanation will not change your symptoms.  We would aim to improve the function of your upper back, ribs and shoulders to reduce the demand on your neck and thus allow the episode of irritation to subside.