Neck sprains occur when the neck is moved in any one direction too rapidly, stretching it beyond a comfortable limit, resulting in small tears of muscle fibers and spasms. The most common cause is a low- to mid-level trauma, which causes the neck’s muscles, ligaments and tendons to stretch to an extreme position. In most cases, pain is resolved in less than one month.

Why it hurts:

• You may feel pain from both the injured soft tissue itself and the adjacent nerve, which can radiate through the shoulder, arms, and hands.