The Causes include:

• Injury/trauma from an accident or a fall
• Physical strain like heavy weight lifting and exercise
• Inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis
• Genetic predisposition
• Viral, fungal or bacterial infections such as syphilis, tuberculosis and aspergillosis
• Non-cancerous and cancerous tumors

Risk factors include:

• Gender - women are more prone for this condition
• Age - people older than 40 years

Risk may be reduced by precautionary measures like:

• Encouraging children to use backpacks properly. For example, an overstuffed backpack should not be worn on just one shoulder
• Treat infections promptly
• Mobilizing early after surgery prevents muscle stiffness