This page is awaiting validation. It does not replace a consultation or a programme adapted to your situation.
One region, several structures
Your neck connects your head and trunk. Seven vertebrae, discs between most of them and small joints allow movement while protecting the spinal cord. Nerves leave the spine and travel towards areas including the shoulders and arms. Muscles support your head and help direct your gaze.
Your jaw joints sit in front of your ears and allow you to speak and chew. Jaw and neck symptoms can occur together, but nearby pain does not prove that one structure explains everything.
Understand the picture
Three landmarks to help you navigate
Neck
Vertebrae, discs and muscles work together.
Nerves
They connect the spine with other regions, including the arms.
Jaw
Its joints and muscles help you chew.
When neck pain is your main problem
Start with the guide to neck pain and a stiff neck. It covers recent symptoms, stiffness and recurring episodes. Following an accident, the whiplash guide provides additional information once injuries requiring specific care have been assessed.
Pain travelling down an arm, especially with changes in strength or sensation, needs a different assessment. The cervical disc and radiculopathy guide explains what an examination looks for. The spondylosis guide helps make sense of a scan without treating every finding as the definite cause of pain.
When your main problem is a headache
Migraine, tension-type headache, cervicogenic headache and occipital neuralgia are different conditions. Their treatment and course cannot be reduced to relaxing the neck. More than one headache type can occur in the same person.
Describing the onset, duration, associated symptoms and medicines used is more useful than choosing a label from a pain map. A diary can prepare you for a consultation. A sudden unusual severe headache or new neurological symptoms need immediate help, without waiting to complete that diary.
Chapter sources [3]
Jaw pain or dizziness: finding the right explanation
Pain when chewing, restricted opening or damaged teeth may warrant a dental assessment. The jaw guide explains the difference between a painful joint, sensitive muscles and bruxism, which means clenching or grinding the teeth.
If dizziness accompanies neck pain, do not assume the neck is its cause. The inner ear, migraine and other problems may be involved. The dizziness guide explains what to record and why treatment depends on the diagnosis.
Moving from information to an appropriate action
The exercises are intended for some straightforward neck problems. They are not a universal treatment for headaches, dizziness or injuries. Read the precautions before starting. The everyday advice page covers work, sleep and activity adjustments.
Our treatment page explains assessment and individual progression. KinéCheck can help prepare a conversation: it does not confirm a diagnosis and should never delay urgent care.
Chapter sources [8]
In everyday life
Preparing a useful conversation
Describe
Where, since when and with which other symptoms?
Connect to daily life
Which activity has become difficult?
Choose the next step
Medical advice, information or support according to your situation.
Preparing for your next appointment
Note when the symptoms began, what has changed and which tasks have become difficult. Mention accidents, known conditions, medicines and previous investigations. A specific goal, such as looking around when crossing a road or returning to an activity, helps identify priorities.
Treatment at the practice requires a medical prescription. Use appropriate medical services for urgent symptoms; a callback request is not an emergency service. Practical details are on the Contact page.
Your questions
Can these pages tell me what condition I have?
No. They explain possibilities and useful questions. Similar symptoms can have different causes that require an assessment to distinguish.
Chapter sources [3]
Do I need to read every article?
No. Start with your main question and follow links to related topics. Warning signs remain visible in every guide.
Chapter sources [3]
Does neck pain necessarily explain my migraines?
No. Migraine is a neurological condition that can include neck pain. This does not mean that a displaced joint is its cause.
Chapter sources [10]
Can I try exercises while waiting for an examination?
Not with warning signs, an unassessed recent injury or unexplained dizziness. If you are unsure whether the exercises suit you, seek advice before starting.
Chapter sources [8]
Sources and references
- [1] HAS — Cervicalgies : ne pas recourir de façon systématique à l’imagerie
- [2] NHS Inform — Mechanical neck pain
- [3] NICE CG150 — Headaches in over 12s: recommendations
- [4] NIDCR / NIH — Temporomandibular disorders
- [5] NHS Inform — Cervical radiculopathy
- [6] NHS — Whiplash
- [7] Bárány Society — Position on Cervical Dizziness (2022)
- [8] NHS Inform · Exercises for neck problems
- [9] Assurance Maladie — Cervicalgie : que faire et quand consulter ?
- [10] International Headache Society — ICHD-3: cervicogenic headache
- [11] NHS · Stroke symptoms
- [12] CGDIS Luxembourg · 112
- [13] Kiné Diddeleng · Informations pratiques confirmées
- [14] NHS Borders · Mechanical neck pain: anatomy
Text updated on
Medical review: awaiting Hasib Selimovic.