I have pretty bad neck at the moment. sometimes there is a small headache with it but im assuming thats the pain radiating a bit i had this same neck pain flare up thing about 2 years ago and have regular neck pain other times. what is flareup cau?

There are many reasons for Chronic & recurrent Neck pain- Posture, Strain, Injury affecting the Nerves, Muscles & Cervical bones of the neck among others. A history like this means one needs a proper Workup with necessary imaging etc. Prolonged delay in finding and controlling or removing the cause of pain/discomfort might result in long term problems. Seeing the PCP is a good place to start.

Would urge visit to your doctor and X-ray of neck. Physical therapy should become involved, as in some cases, motorized cervical traction may stabilize significantly. Some McKenzie neck exercises may offer longterm benefit. But some caveats: need to rule out disc rupture, cervical stenosis, unstable spine, and any spinal cord risk. Get diagnosed initially.