ABSTRACT
Neck pain is pain perceived in a region bounded laterally by the margins of the neck, superiorly by the superior nuchal line, and inferiorly by an imaginary transverse line through the T1 spinous process. Referred pain is pain perceived in a region that has a nerve supply different from that of the source of pain. In the context of spinal pain, it is pain perceived in the territory of the ventral rami of the spinal nerves when the source of pain lies in the territory of the dorsal rami or other branches of the spinal nerves. Cervical referred pain tends to occur in distinctive patterns that can be depicted as pain maps. Neck pain is a common complaint whose prevalence differs in different communities and amongst different occupations. Many factors have been studied as risk factors for the development of neck pain.
