About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffYour doctor often will be able to diagnose the cause of your neck pain and recommend treatment just by asking questions about the type, location and onset of your pain. In some instances, however, imaging tests, nerve tests or lab tests may be warranted.
Imaging tests
- X-rays. X-rays can reveal areas in your neck where your nerves or spinal cord may be pinched by bone spurs or a bulging disk. But many people, especially those over 60, have these findings and don't experience any neck pain.
- Computerized tomography (CT). CT scans combine X-ray images taken from many different directions to produce detailed cross-sectional views of the internal structures of your neck.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). MRIs utilize radio waves and a strong magnetic field to create especially detailed images of bones and soft tissues, including the spinal cord and the nerves coming from the spinal cord.
Nerve tests
If your doctor suspects that your neck pain may be related to a pinched nerve, he or she may suggest electromyography (EMG). This test involves inserting very fine needles through your skin into a muscle to determine whether specific nerves are functioning properly.
Lab tests
- Blood tests. Blood tests can sometimes provide evidence of inflammatory or infectious conditions that may be causing your neck pain.
- Spinal tap (lumbar puncture). During a spinal tap, a needle is carefully inserted into your spine to obtain a sample of the fluid that surrounds your brain and spinal cord. This test can reveal evidence of meningitis.
- Devin C, et al. Neck pain. In: Firestein GS, et al. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders Co.; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/170975296-3/0/1807/271.html?tocnode=55731659&fromURL=271.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3285-4..10039-7_1122. Accessed Nov. 13, 2009.
- Isaac Z, et al. Evaluation of the patient with neck pain and cervical spine disorders. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 13, 2009.
- Meningitis and encephalitis fact sheet. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/encephalitis_meningitis/detail_encephalitis_meningitis.htm. Accessed Nov. 13, 2009.
- Neurological diagnostic tests and procedures. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/misc/diagnostic_tests.htm. Accessed Nov. 17, 2009.
- Anderson BC, et al. Treatment of neck pain. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 17, 2009.
- Chiropractic: An introduction. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/chiropractic/. Accessed Nov. 17, 2009.
- Acupuncture for pain. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/acupuncture/acupuncture-for-pain.htm. Accessed Nov. 17, 2009.
- The Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders. Executive summary. Spine. 2008;33:55.
- Bauer BA. Mayo Clinic Book of Alternative Medicine. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2007:117.
- What a pain in the neck! American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. http://www.aapmr.org/condtreat/pain/necktips.htm. Accessed Nov. 17, 2009.
Find Mayo Clinic on