In some cases, neck pain may be the result of disease or injury in another part of the body. Areas of the body that can affect the neck include the jaw, head and shoulders.

Conditions that cause pain in the neck and radiate to other parts of the body include:

• Headaches. Tension headaches in particular can cause neck pain. Neck pain may linger after a migraine.

• Radiculopathy. A pinched nerve, often resulting from a herniated disc. In addition to neck pain, the patient may experience pain down the arm that is frequently described as an electrical feeling.
  
  
• Spinal stenosis. A narrowing of the nerve openings around the spinal cord or the nerve roots. Symptoms mimic those of a pinched nerve.
  
  
• Spinal instability. Increased motion of the vertebrae that can cause tingling in the neck.
  
  
• Facet joint arthropathy. Facet (zygapophyseal) jointFacet joint arthropathy (joint disease) usually happens with whiplash or any other neck injury and can cause pain in neck and associated posterior headaches. 

There are also other conditions where pain originates in another part of the body and radiates to the neck, such as TMJ disorder. The temporomandibular joint is where the jaw is hinged to the skull. Disorders that affect this joint can cause neck pain. In some cases, neck pain can also trigger TMJ pain.

In addition to dental pain, headaches and back pain, neck pain can also be related to some types of ear pain (e.g., malignant external otitis), orofacial pain (e.g., carotodynia) or shoulder pain.