What Are The Common Causes for Sore Throat and Neck Pain?

What Are The Common Causes for Sore Throat and Neck Pain?

common causes for sore throat and neck pain

There are 2 common causes for sore throat and neck pain.

Viral infections- when the upper respiratory system is affected from cold, flu, mononucleosis, the affected suffers from sore throat and neck pain. The treatment involves bed rest and administration of fluids

Strep throat- this bacterial infection in throat also leads to neck pain and sore throat


Cold Causes and Effects:

Cold is caused by various kinds of viruses. The common reason found is the rhinovirus. Cold can lead to sore throat and neck pain most often.


There Are Also Other Effects Like

  • Runny nose
  • Stuffy nose
  • Congestion in nose
  • Congestion in throat
  • Stinging muscles
  • Exhaustion

Common cold has no cure. To recover, the bed rest and fluids are advised to the patients. Pain relievers and cough syrups, and few antibiotics prove to best medicines for common cold.


Flu:

Flu is also caused because of viral infections, like the cold. Sore throat, neck pain, congestion in nose and throat are symptoms of flu. Pain in muscles and tiredness are also experienced by the affected. Fever is also present in almost all the cases. Though the similarities in the symptoms exist, it is the severity of the symptoms that strikes the difference between cold and flu.

The symptoms of flu also are onset all of a sudden, unlike cold. People affected by flu can recover fast with bed rest like in cold. There are a few exceptions, like the young kids, older people and those with low immune power can face severe complications.


These Are The Cases When The Affected Needs to Consult the Doctor;

  • If the symptoms lasts for a week or more
  • If the symptoms are very severe
  • if the affected person has the high risk of age factor or low immunity. Usually, antiviral medications are prescribed by the physicians to aid in the process of fighting off the infection by the body.

Mononucleosis:

This is also popularly known as the kissing disease, It also causes sore throat and neck pain.

The virus responsible for this disease is spread through saliva

Symptoms:

Symptoms of mononucleosis are similar to that of the common cold and flu. There are also other symptoms of this disease.

  • Swollen tonsils
  • Weakness

Treatment:

  • The best treatments for mononucleosis are bed rest and fluids.
  • If there are secondary infections, antibiotics are necessary.
  • When the symptoms never go or become sever after one or two weeks, it is necessary to check with the doctor for the medicines.

Strep Throat:

Strep throat too causes neck pain and sore throat. When the person is affected with strep throat, he or she experiences the following symptoms:

  • Throat pain
  • Difficulty in swallowing
  • Swollen and red tonsils
  • Temperature
  • Headache
  • Exhaustion

Treatment:

  • Antibiotics are used to treat strep throat, an example is pencilin. When left untreated, the strep throat spreads over the body. The treatment for strep throat is not complicated and operative.

Reviewed By:

Dr. Kaushal M. Bhavsar (MBBS, MD)

Assistant Professor in Pulmonary Medicine, GMERS Medical College, Ahmedabad