Stiff Neck and Sore Throat

Many people often complain of stiff neck, sore throat and fever as common symptoms of an ailment, and find it hard to ascertain the exact cause of these symptoms. At first glance these symptoms seem to have nothing to do with each other, but there is a deeper relationship between them. A sore throat often leads to swelling up of the lymph glands in the back of the throat, and this can sometimes lead to stiffness in the neck. A fever can also be traced to a sore throat, as the infection is the primary cause of that. There are a few well-known illnesses that cause fever, stiff neck and a sore throat. Once the origins of these symptoms can be traced, the illness can be cured.

Mononucleosis
Mononucleosis is a viral infection that is known to cause sore throat with stiff neck, and also causes a fever in an individual due to the swollen lymph glands. This is also known as the 'kissing disease' as it spreads with the exchange of saliva between two people. People of any age can be affected by this, but its most common victims are teenagers in the age group 14-17 years. It is known to be caused by the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV), and the symptoms gradually worsen over a period of time.

Stiff neck, sore throat, fever, general fatigue and tiredness are some of the most commonly seen symptoms of this illness, and it must be treated as soon as it is detected. This virus can stay dormant in a person for the rest of his/her lives, so it is absolutely imperative to eradicate the symptoms as soon as they appear. Along with these symptoms, there are many milder symptoms as well that can cause a lot of damage, if left undetected.

Strep Throat
Strep throat, or streptococcal pharyngitis, is caused by an invasion of the throat by the streptococcal bacteria. These can spread easily through the air, and most people are regularly infected by this organism many times in their lives. The most obvious symptom that arises is a sore throat, but there are other medical conditions that may be aggravated due to this as well. Stiff neck, sore throat, fever, headache, and trouble swallowing are just some of the observed effects of this. Due to strep throat, an individual experiences highly swollen lymph glands and this may cause the neck to stiffen immensely. This can be quite an uncomfortable experience, when it comes along with the sore throat.

Strep throat is something that can be easily combated by the body in a few days time. The normal period of recovery for a person is around 2-4 days, and all the symptoms of the condition can be naturally fought off by then. Supplementing some drugs and medications to combat this condition helps in reducing the effects of the symptoms though.

Acute Bacterial Meningitis
This is a bacterial infection that is caused by the inflammation of the spaces that exist between the layers of tissue that cover the human brain and the spinal cord. This is also a disease that carries many different kinds of symptoms with it. People who are most likely to be affected by this are infants, young children and people above the age of 60, all in all, people who have a relatively weak immune system in their body.

Some of the most commonly seen symptoms of bacterial meningitis are headache, fever, vomiting, stiff neck, sore throat, seizures, and/or even a skin rash in special cases. There are several complications that can arise if this condition is left untreated, so it requires rapid and prompt medical diagnosis and treatment. Failure to do so can greatly worsen the condition.

Stiff neck, sore throat, fever and other such symptoms always follow an infection that has affected the throat. Any inflammation there, causes the lymph glands in the neck to swell up, so these symptoms always go hand in hand. In most cases though, the stiff neck is not very painful, but certain ailments can produce quite unbearable neck pain in you.