The neck, the shoulder and the upper back work as one connected region. Knowing how they fit together helps explain why pain often shows up in one place and starts in another. These pages explain each structure in plain words and link it to the problems that usually start there.
- How the neck, shoulder and upper back work together: the shared muscles, joints and nerves that link the three, and why a problem in one changes the other two.
- Anatomy of the neck: the seven neck bones, the discs and small joints between them, and the muscles that hold up the head.
- Anatomy of the shoulder: the ball-and-socket joint, the rotator cuff, the bursa and the biceps tendon, and how they let the arm move so far.
- Anatomy of the upper back and shoulder blade: the thoracic spine, the ribs and the shoulder blade gliding over them.
- Nerves from the neck to the arm: how the nerves leave the neck, pass near the collarbone and travel down the arm.
To read about a specific problem, see the full list of neck, shoulder and upper back conditions.
When you know how the three areas connect, it is easier to see why the sore spot is not always where the problem starts.