What Causes Muscle Spasms And Rash On Neck?

Posted on Wed, 24 Sep 2014

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 24 Sep 2014 Answered on

Sat, 18 Oct 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : Having a lot of neck pain and stiffness with muscle spasms now there is a rash on my neck where the pain is. Could this rash be from nerve damage?

Answered by Dr. Dr. Michelle Gibson (-5 hours later)

Brief Answer:
possibly shingles

Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic

It is possible that it may be shingles. This is the most common rash that is associated with pain.
In some cases the pain can be severe and may actually persist after the rash has resolved. (this is called post herpetic neuralgia)

The rash has a initial red appearance, followed by formation of small 'bumps' which may appear fluid filled.

You may want to see your doctor to confirm that this is the problem.

Shingles is treated with pain medications, in some cases strong pain medications are needed. If advil is not enough, your doctor can give alternative medications.

With shingles, medications such as gabapentin, amitriptyline, tegretol,lyrica are needed to treat.

If it is confirmed as shingles then you may want to consider the shingles vaccine which may reduce the chance of future recurrence.

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar