lump on clavicle bone, appearing/disappearing

[medsecy70]

I noticed a bump on top of my right clavicle on a Friday evening; it was there through the weekend, and I have had what I thought was "neck pain" (from sleeping on that side?), but which my doctor diagnosed as not neck but deltoid muscle pain in the office.  This was probably a month ago.  I have had this pain off and on since then prior to the bump.  I was in pain over the weekend, not sure from what, but on the right side.  Used a heating pad on my neck.

By Monday am, the lump had almost disappeared and now I'm wondering what could have caused it.  Thinking back, I had a lump previously and it too disappeared.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  If you are indeed having muscle spasms/inflammation, this may be a self-perpetuating condition, unless treated.  "Sleeping wrong" may have caused the original injury, but that inflammation may be persistent even when you've stopped sleeping on your right side.  A massage of the area or physical therapy sessions may help.

[medsecy70]

And what could cause this other than "sleeping wrong"?  When I sleep on the LEFT side, it does not happen.  I even have one of those pillows with the indentation, but it does not seem to alleviate it.

[Fernando Roque, MD]

Hi.  Its hard to tell what that bump is without having actually examined it, but from your descriptions, it may be either inflamed or spastic muscles, or enlarged lymph nodes which may result from nearby muscle inflammation.  Anyway, since the mass seems to be transient, it doesn't look to me to be anything serious.