Sudden neck pain started 4 days ago, no injury or accident that I m aware of. It s on my left side at the base of my skull about an inch behind my neck. It s a constant pain, that makes me kind of sick to my stomach . At the end of the day it hurts so badly, I seriously want to cry. It is hard to imagine that sort of pain from just sleeping funny, but it would be nice to know if that s all it is. The skin is tender to touch all the way up the back of my head and at sometimes it is more tender than others. I have used icy hot and a sort of pain buster that has helped a little bit. Mostly just large does of ibuprofen have been helping. But the pain is constant and severe enough despite my efforts it still hurts through it all. It feels kind of like somebody punched me or stabbed me with a knife. It s been giving me headaches and making me tired. I m curious if it has anything to do with my quitting smoking , if I just pulled a muscle, or if it s worth a visit to the clinic or....chiropractor?