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Neurology (Expert Forum)
Mysterious neck pain
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Mysterious neck pain
by Kristi101, Aug 20, 2003 12:00AM
I woke up one morning with a stiff neck. In three days my left ear and the left side of my throat began hurting. It has been 4 months. Four doctors, two of which are ENTs, see nothing in my throat or ears. I have taken muscle relaxers, penicillin, anti-inflammatories and nothing really helps. At times, when I turn my head, I get sharp pain in my throat. Other times, my throat aches and sometimes feels like there are spasms. My ear aches with a burning sensation. My neck feels stiff all the time. My GP is at a loss. X-rays and MRI studies of the neck and CT scan of soft tissue show nothing remarkable. Any suggestions as to what this could be and what type of specialist I should consult?
Doctor's Answer
by CCF-Neuro-M.D.-CS, Aug 21, 2003 12:00AM
Without other symptoms the pain becomes very difficult to localize. If the pain is superficial it is most likely realted to nerves in your neck, however if the pain is deep or poorly localized then it could be do to nerves coming from your brainstem. The normal spine MRI does not help in finding the problem. If you have not had a brain MRI it may be reasonable to have one performed. This will help to evaluate your brainstem and the nerves coming out from the base of the brain. If you have not seen a neurologist, I would recommend it. They can examine you to make sure no other abnormalities are present. Lastly, if the pain is mostly over your face this could be a type of trigeminal neuralgia, which is nerve pain secondary to irritation of the trigeminal nerve. If you have not tried a neuropathic pain medication such as amitryptiline or gabapentin it may be worth a shot to see if they relieve the pain. Good luck.
what the radiologists said. Since neck, ear, throat problem is all on left, seems like an ENT is the Dr. to see. Neck could be a
swollen gland. Throat spasm could be pulling eustacion tube from
the ear. I went to 16 docs before I demanded a `coronal CT' that
showed serious damage after 8 yrs. You need a Dr. to think out of
the box! Not all appears on MRI's & a peek in the ear. I had it
all. Ear fluid aspiration & a tube gave short term help. If Rx
doesn't clear it, you need to be aggressive. These boards say 2
things. `Lack of knowledge & lack of time w/ us!' You can even
ck-out your films & have them re-read. I hope some of us can
get MD's to push even a theory of how to help. Let us know your
outcome. It may help others.