Stiff Neck Virus: Possible Causes

Your neck feels tight and tense, and it’s uncomfortable, maybe even impossible, to move it from side to side or up and down. And a stiff neck often seems to linger on and on.

Most often, a stiff neck is caused by strain on the soft tissues of your neck, but it can be a symptom of many problems and shouldn’t be ignored.

Causes of Stiff Neck

A stiff neck may be the result of:

• Injury. If you had an accident that caused your head to jerk around violently, you may have injured the muscles and perhaps the ligaments in your neck, which can lead to stiffness. Neck injuries may result from mishaps as wide-ranging as automobile accidents, a collision or hit sustained while playing contact sports, and falls.
• Osteoarthritis. This is a condition that results from wear and tear of your joints and often occurs with age. It can lead to stiffness and limited movement in various joints, including your neck.
• Rheumatoid arthritis. This autoimmune disorder affects your joints, and it can damage those in your neck. This damage can result in severe neck pain and stiffness, usually in the upper part of your neck.
• Pinched nerve. A pinched nerve may be due to arthritis, the narrowing of your spinal canal, or a herniated disk. If you have a pinched nerve, you may experience neck stiffness that sometimes radiates into your arms and maybe your legs.
• Emotional stress. When you’re under stress, your muscles can become tense. A stiff neck is often an early signal that you are feeling stressed.
• Fibromyalgia. This disorder is associated with painful, achy muscles and joints. Muscles may contract, resulting in a stiff neck.
• Muscle spasm. A muscle spasm occurs when your nerves send messages to your muscles that cause them to contract. A muscle spasm in your neck can result in a stiff neck.
• Meningitis. Meningitis is a serious, potentially life-threatening infection of the fluid that surrounds your brain and spinal cord. Along with fever and a headache, a stiff neck is a common symptom of meningitis.
• Other infections. In addition to fever, vomiting, and sensitivity to light, a stiff neck can be a sign of a simple viral infection, such as the flu

Stiff Neck: Treatments That Help

Since neck stiffness can be a symptom of a serious condition, it is a good idea to seek medical care, especially if your stiff neck is severe, persistent, and accompanied by other symptoms described above.

To determine the cause of your stiff neck, your doctor will perform a physical exam and talk with you about your symptoms. In some cases, an X-ray, computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or another imaging study will be conducted so your doctor can view the bones and tissues inside your neck.

Your treatment will depend on the cause of your stiff neck. In the case of strained muscles or ligaments, initial treatment may include:

• Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, like ibuprofen (Advil) to help relieve pain
• A cervical collar to keep your neck still so your muscles can rest
• Limitation of activities that could strain your neck, like heavy lifting
• Referral to a physical therapist

Stiff Neck: At-Home Therapies

Along with what your primary doctor prescribes, you may also want to try:

• Exercises. Practice simple stretches like moving your head up and down, side to side, and from ear to ear. Do them slowly.
• Massage. Have your spouse or partner massage your neck, but do it gently.
• Pillow. Sleep on a firm mattress with a specially designed neck pillow. Or try skipping a pillow entirely if your doctor gives you the go-ahead.
• Ice and heat therapies. Use ice for the first 48 to 72 hours after stiff neck symptoms begin to relieve inflammation, then switch to soothing heat with a heat wrap or heating pad or a shower treatment.

If your stiff neck gets worse or does not begin to improve within a week or two, let your doctor know. Most cases do resolve in four to six weeks, but others take longer to get better. Your doctor will be able to tell you when you may need more specialized care to relieve your symptoms.

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Meningitis and stiff neck: Causes, treatment, and more

Meningitis is an infection that affects the protective membranes that surround the spinal cord and brain, called the meninges. Meningitis can cause many symptoms, including a stiff neck.

Meningitis can be serious if a person does not seek treatment quickly. Meningitis can cause septicemia, a life-threatening blood poisoning that can permanently damage the nerves and brain.

There are several vaccines available that can protect against meningitis.

This article examines the connection between meningitis and a stiff neck. We also discuss when people should contact a doctor and the potential treatments for meningitis.

A stiff neck is one of the symptoms of meningitis.

The meninges are the protective layers that surround the brain and spinal cord. The spinal meninges cover the spinal cord and protect it from directly touching the neck, cervical spine, chest, and thoracic spine. The cranial meninges cover the brain and cushion it from direct contact with the skull.

The meninges have three layers:

• Pia mater: The innermost layer attaches to and lines the brain and spinal cord. The pia mater is the thinnest and most delicate of the meningeal layers.
• Arachnoid mater: The middle layer contains collagen and elastic tissue in a web-like structure. The cerebrospinal fluid runs beneath the arachnoid mater in an area called the subarachnoid space, above the pia mater.
• Dura mater: The outermost and most durable, toughest layer. It comprises dense fibrous tissue to provide protection and is the only meningeal layer sensitive to pain.

In meningitis, the cerebrospinal fluid and the surrounding meninges — the arachnoid mater and pia mater — are susceptible to infection and inflammation. The infection can also activate the fibers of the dura mater, which can contribute to neck pain and stiffness.

The meninges run from the brain and cover the spinal cord until just before the lower back. A person’s neck is the most mobile area that meninges cover.

When the meninges become inflamed and painful from movement, a person will notice this in their neck. This is why a person with meningitis often has a stiff, painful neck.

A person should seek medical advice as soon as possible if they think that they or their child has meningitis. A person should not wait for a rash or other additional symptoms to develop and should see a doctor at the earliest possible stage of the infection.

A bacterial or viral infection is the most common cause of meningitis. Bacterial meningitis is rarer but more severe than viral meningitis.

A person can contract meningitis from someone else sneezing or coughing or from kissing. A person usually catches it from someone who has the virus or bacteria in their throat but is not showing symptoms themselves.

If a person thinks they or their child have had contact with someone with meningitis, they should seek medical advice.

A doctor will usually send a person with suspected meningitis to the hospital for tests to confirm the diagnosis and check whether the infection is viral or bacterial.

If a person has bacterial meningitis, they may require hospital treatment for about a week.

A doctor may treat the infection by:

• giving the person oxygen via a face mask
• injecting antibiotics directly into a vein
• injecting fluids directly into a vein

If a person has viral meningitis, they will generally look after themselves at home and usually recover without treatment within 7–10 days. A person should get plenty of rest and may feel better after taking over-the-counter (OTC) pain medication and antinausea medication to relieve symptoms.

Vaccines

There are currently no vaccines against viral meningitis, but four types of vaccines protect against the four types of bacteria that cause bacterial meningitis. These are:

• pneumococcal vaccines, which help protect against Streptococcus pneumoniae
• meningococcal vaccines, which help protect against Neisseria meningitidis
• Haemophilus influenzae serotype b (Hib) vaccines, which help protect against Hib
• bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine, which helps protect against tuberculosis

People should make sure they are up to date with their scheduled vaccinations.

Viral and bacterial meningitis may present different symptoms.

Viral meningitis

Babies often display the following symptoms of viral meningitis:

• lethargy
• fever
• difficulty eating
• irritability
• trouble waking or sleepiness

Common symptoms of viral meningitis in children and adults include:

• stiff neck
• lethargy
• fever
• headache
• sensitivity to light
• sleepiness or trouble waking
• lack of appetite
• nausea
• vomiting
• irritability

Bacterial meningitis

The symptoms of bacterial meningitis in newborns and babies include:

• vomiting
• trouble feeding
• being slow or inactive
• being irritable
• a bulging fontanelle, the soft spot on a baby’s head
• abnormal reflexes

For children and adults, symptoms of bacterial meningitis may include:

• sensitivity to light
• nausea
• vomiting
• confusion
• fever
• stiff neck
• headache

If a person has viral meningitis, they will usually get better without treatment, and people rarely suffer any long-term effects of the infection.

If a person has bacterial meningitis, they will usually make a full recovery if they receive treatment quickly.

A person could experience severe long-term complications from bacterial meningitis. These include:

• recurring seizures, or epilepsy
• vision or hearing loss, either partial or total
• memory and concentration problems
• problems with coordination, such as balance and movement issues
• loss of limbs, as a doctor may have to amputate affected limbs in some cases

Meningitis can cause a stiff neck. This is because it causes inflammation and infection in the meninges surrounding the brain and spine. A person will likely feel the stiffness from the inflammation most noticeably in their neck, which is the most mobile area that the meninges cover.

Meningitis can be severe, especially if a bacterial infection causes it. A person should contact a doctor as soon as possible if they suspect they or their child have meningitis or have been with a person who has the infection. There is a much better chance of a full recovery if a person receives treatment quickly.

A person will usually recover from viral meningitis at home within 7–10 days and may use OTC medications to treat symptoms.

People often make a full recovery from meningitis, especially viral meningitis. A person may experience severe problems from bacterial meningitis, including seizures, vision or hearing loss, and coordination problems.

Meningitis – Humanitas

Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord (meninges).

The swelling associated with meningitis often causes the characteristic signs and symptoms of meningitis, including headache, fever, and neck stiffness.

Most cases of meningitis are caused by a viral infection, but bacterial and fungal infections can also cause the disease. Depending on the cause of the infection, the person may recover on their own in a couple of weeks, or they may develop a life-threatening form of the disease requiring emergency antibiotic treatment.

Seek immediate medical attention if you suspect meningitis in yourself or a family member. Prompt treatment of bacterial meningitis can prevent serious complications.

Symptoms

Early signs and symptoms of meningitis are easily confused with flu symptoms. Signs and symptoms of meningitis may develop within hours or within one to two days.

Signs and symptoms that may appear in patients older than 2 years are listed below:

• Sudden rise in temperature
• Acute headache not like other types of headache
• Neck stiffness
• Vomiting or nausea with headache
• Confusion or trouble concentrating
• Convulsions
• Drowsiness or difficulty waking up
• Light sensitivity
• Lack of appetite
• In some cases, such as meningococcal meningitis, skin rash

Signs in newborns

Neonates and infants may not present with the classic signs and symptoms of headache and stiff neck. Instead, patients in this age group may have the following signs of meningitis:

• Fever
• Constant crying
• Excessive sleepiness or irritability
• Passivity or lethargy
• Low appetite
• Protrusion of soft areas on the crown (fontanelle)
• Stiffness of the body and neck of the child
• Babies with meningitis are difficult to soothe and may even cry more when held in their arms.

Conditions that call for medical attention

Seek immediate medical attention if you or a member of your family has clinical signs or symptoms of meningitis, such as:

• Fever
• Acute persistent headache
• Confusion
• Vomiting
• Neck stiffness

Viral meningitis may recover without treatment, but bacterial meningitis is a serious disease that develops rapidly and requires prompt antibiotic treatment to recover. Delayed treatment of bacterial meningitis increases the risk of irreversible brain damage or death. In addition, bacterial meningitis can be fatal after a few days.

Only a doctor can determine the specific type of meningitis you or your child has based on an examination of the cerebrospinal fluid.

It is also essential to see a doctor if a family member or colleague has been diagnosed with meningitis. Medication may be needed to prevent infection.

Complications

Meningitis can cause severe complications. The longer you delay treating yourself or your child, the greater your risk of seizures and irreversible neurological damage, including:

• Hearing loss
• Memory violation
• Learning difficulties
• Brain injury
• Difficulties in walking
• Convulsions
• Renal failure
• Shock
• Death

Inflammation of the meninges – diagnosis and treatment at 100med

What kind of disease is this

Meningitis is often referred to as inflammation of the meninges. In the event of its occurrence, the protective layers of the spinal cord and brain become inflamed. This occurs under the influence of simple microorganisms, bacteria, fungal or viral infections. In some cases, the cause of inflammation can be medication or an injury.

Symptoms

Symptoms of inflammation of the meninges:

• increase in body temperature;

• the occurrence of hearing problems;

• significant headaches;

• nausea;

• loss of consciousness;

• vomit;

• the appearance of a rash on the skin;

• neck stiffness;

• drowsiness;

• convulsions;

• mental problems, including apathy, hallucinations, anxiety, agitation and other types.

Causes

Causes of inflammation of the meninges:

• influence of the simplest microorganisms;

• the presence of fungal infections;

• bacterial types of infections;

• viral diseases;

• a combination of several types of pathogens.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of inflammation of the meninges is carried out as follows:

• general, PCR and biochemical blood tests;

• neurological examination;

• electroencephalography;

• puncture of the cerebrospinal type;

• CT study.

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Our expert opinion

Meningitis occurs in acute, fulminant and chronic forms, so only with the right approach can a correct and timely diagnosis be made. Such a complex disease requires complex treatment and high professionalism of medical personnel.

Treatment

Therapy of inflammation of the meninges is carried out in the complex:

• the use of antiviral agents;

• the appointment of antipyretics;

• the use of painkillers;

• antifungal treatment;

• antibacterial therapy.