Almost two-thirds of the global populations suffer from neck pain at some point in their lives. It occurs in the region of the back of the neck and between the base of the neck to shoulder, mainly indicating the region of the trapezius muscle. Pain in this region is a stereotypical symptom of stress. Repetitive movements, sitting for prolonged periods, injury, or merely the natural process of aging and its attendant side-effects can also affect the neck. One of the major sectors in chiropractic profession is diagnosis and treatment of neck pain conditions.

Neck pain has several types. Some stand out as being chronic in nature. The causes behind such pain are- previous neck injuries (such as whiplash or arthritic degeneration), disc pathologies such as disc desiccation (it is an abnormal dryness of the discs) and herniations (a tear in the outer, fibrous ring of an inter-vertebral disc that allows the soft, central portion to bulge out) or osteoarthritis. Other types of neck pain may include cervical spondylolisthesis (anterior displacement of a vertebra or the vertebral column in relation to the vertebrae below), spinal postural concerns, such as hyperlordosis (too much curve) or hypolordosis (too little of curve), or non-spinal issues, such as thoracic outlet syndrome (compression at the superior thoracic outlet that affect the nerves passing into the arms from the neck, and/or blood vessels that pass between the chest and upper extremity). In some cases neck pain may be due to an acute spasm or one or more of the supportive musculature of the neck region.

A chronic neck pain can also give rise to neurological symptoms. These may include tingling, numbness, or a "pins and needles" feeling. Sometimes a person can feel this sensation in the fingertips or up and down the arm. This sensation indicates that the neck problem could be becoming worse.