what illness can cause pain at the base of the neck on both sides above your neck glands?
1 Injuries. 2  Rear-end auto collisions often result in whiplash injury, which occurs when the head is jerked backward and then forward, straining the soft tissues of the neck. 3  Diseases. 4  Certain diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, meningitis or cancer, can cause neck pain.