Neck pain self-check

Nine questions about your neck pain, your screen habits and any symptoms in your arm or head. You will see how much it is affecting daily life, what your answers point to, and practical next steps.

Written by Dr. V. B. Rajendra Prasad, MPT. Takes about three minutes.

  1. 1.How long have you had this neck pain?

  2. 2.Where do you feel it?

  3. 3.Hours a day at a computer, laptop or phone

  4. 4.Turning your head, for example to check traffic or reverse a vehicle

  5. 5.Looking down to read, cook or use your phone

  6. 6.Sleep

  7. 7.Work and daily tasks

  8. 8.Tingling, numbness or weakness in the arm or hand

  9. 9.Any of these with the neck pain: dizziness, double vision, trouble speaking or swallowing, or clumsy hands and difficulty walking?

0 of 9 answered

Answers stay in your browser and are not sent to us. This check gives directions, not a diagnosis or a medical score.

What this check looks at

Most neck pain comes from the muscles and joints of the neck and is closely linked to how we sit, work and use our phones. That is why screen time is part of the check.

Symptoms in the arm, headaches, and signs such as dizziness or clumsy hands are included because they change what you should do next.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my neck hurt after working on a laptop?
Laptops make you look down with the head forward for hours, which loads the neck and upper back. Raising the screen to eye level, using a separate keyboard, taking movement breaks and strengthening the deep neck muscles usually help.
Is tingling in the hand from my neck?
It can be. An irritated nerve in the neck can cause pain, tingling or numbness down the arm. Tingling in the thumb and first fingers can also come from the wrist (carpal tunnel). A physiotherapist checks both.
When is neck pain an emergency?
Seek urgent care for neck pain with dizziness, double vision, trouble speaking or swallowing, clumsy hands, difficulty walking, or after a significant fall or accident.
Can neck pain be treated online?
Yes. Online sessions have an advantage for neck pain: your physiotherapist sees your actual desk, screen and phone habits and can correct them, as well as guiding your exercises.
Online physiotherapy for neck pain Neck pain exercises More free tools
Dr. Rajendra

Written by Dr. V. B. Rajendra Prasad, MPT. Licensed to practice in the US (NY state) and UK (HCPC).
20 years of clinical experience. About Dr. Rajendra