Pain in the neck

We all know the expression.
She's such a pain in the neck.
Doing housework is a pain in the neck.
I understand it so much more now. For the past few months, I've been suffering from chronic neck pain. Stiffness and a constant dull pain radiating from the back of my neck down to my shoulder blade. Very hard to live with. It's almost as bad as back pain which I know well because I suffered severe back pain for many years after having children.