Carotid Artery Pain / Neck

[Zoey75]

Recently I have been experiencing pain on the right side of my neck, in what feels to be my carotid artery.  The pain is a very sharp pain that only last a couple of seconds, and starts up every 15-20 seconds.  This can last about a minute or two, and then sometimes even longer.  I'm worried about some type of carotid artery disease?  Is this something I should go right to the dr's about?  I had my blood pressure taken yesterday and is was 126/73.

[Suziedev]

Past week av have this pain in my left-side of my neck,comes at times of rest aswell as times walking so there is no pattern for when it brings it on,at 35 a had a heart attack and got a stent inserted,suffer from high colestrol and high blood pressure, am just out of hospital 2 weeks ago for a infection in my muscles,is this possible to be related to the infection or is it something a should see my doctor's about?any advice would be great

[Lily_MHModerator]

Hi, Please visit your doctor since he would know your history and would be the best person to help you out asap.

We wish you the best.

[healthnut71]

I have had this pain on and off in both sides of my neck.
I wonder if it could be related to dehydration? I know I don't drink nearly enough water everyday. How about you?

[Lee Kirksey, MD]

The likelihood of carotid disease would be related to factors such as age, history of smoking and other risk factors. I would suggest having your pcp evaluate you.  

[swk460]

i am 28 just recently lost about 50 pounds because i have had high blood pressure for a few years and finally decided to do something about it ..always felt fine .. just when i started feeling better about myself this happens .. at first it felt real sore i thought i tore something at the gym but just been lingering off and on for a few weeks goes from 1 side to the other not just one side

[kathyhuddler]

I was recently in the hospital where I had a CT scan & was advised I have excessive plaque in my carotid arteries which is going to require surgery. I actually have constant headaches & throbbing sensation in the left side of my neck which I assume is one of the symptoms? I also have been under a lot of stress & having problems keeping my blood pressure at a normal & healthy level even with being on medication. I have an appt with my PCP & cardiologist soon, so hopefully I'll find out if all my symptoms are associated with this carotid artery issue.

[Nymod]

For several days I suffered from what I thought might be a ruptured eardrum (I had recently been out to hear music that was deafeningly loud), The pain in the right side of my neck traveling down from my ear was so bad and it was accompanied by a mild headache and feverish achy feelings Another thought I had was that the carotid artery was somehow involved because the pain ran through that area. One other symptom which was developing at the same time was severe burning around the tip of my tongue. I put that down to my new habit of adding cayenne pepper to my food and cut that out. On the fourth day (yesterday) I awoke to find my tongue swollen, still sore and burning and the right side of my face paralyzed. Now I was certain the cranial nerves which run alongside the carotid artery were inflamed/infected. Since I could still speak and my extremities were not affected I knew it was not a stroke. A doctor looked in my ear and could not find a hole. After much research, today I found this article http://www.nutritional-supplements-health-guide.com/lysine.html  Eureka! Now I know I have Carotidynia, Shingles in my mouth and tongue and Bell's Palsey, all of which should respond to L-Lysine therapy. I have never suffered any of these illnesses before but eat tons of food high in Arginine, so this makes total sense. Ran to the store and purchased L-Lysine Powder, Zinc without Copper and B-6. I already supplement with a B-Complex and vitamin C so will continue with those. I took a big dose of the Lysine with the other supplements and then ate organic Cottage cheese (high in Lysine) and then rested. Almost immediately I felt small twitches in my facial muscles and a lessening of the carotid artery pain. Still paralyzed and feeling like crap but definitely on the mend and it has only been 5 hours! Will report back tomorrow on my progress. I am feeling very positive. Hope this might help others.

[nadkurr]

A number of you mentioned working out heavily, or feeling pain when/during/after working out.  I have had some vein pain in both sides of my neck off and on lately--noticed it when the weather changed here to a warmer climate.  Sweating more, working out the same=dehydration big time.  I drank more H2O and the pain went away.  Here is a related article (non-medical article, just interesting).

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-most-common-causes-of-side-of-the-neck-pain.htm#didyouknowout

[Clarity2222]

I think you hit it in the head here for me. Thank you.

[Duffado]

Have a look at this article...

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1526-4610.1961.hed0101009.x/abstract

[JohnHoward]

You need to go to work in a hospital.

[Marie_Tx]

I cannot find answers and the doctors keep wanting to run test after test but still no clear answers.  Does anyone else have these corresponding symptoms?  I am in my mid 50s, in fairly good health but too sedentary a job and need to lose some weight.  I have developed very high cholesterol which had always been high but healthy with very high good cholesterol which offset the bad. A few years ago it skyrocketed (family inheritance) along with HBP and BP spikes.

1.  sharp, passing pain that goes up the neck and seems to dissipate after it passes by my ear. I used to think the neck pain was due to old spinal (neck & back) injuries but now it seems cardiovascular.  Sometimes it happens 2 or 3 times immediately in a row.  Afterwards a "shadowy" part of the aching pain remains.  I've experienced this occasionally over several years but it has returned with a marked increase.  

2.  Last year I noticed a flickering, flashing light in my left eye's field of vision & the opthamologist insisted I come in immediately.  It was due to retinal bleeding and the dr. advised my carotid arteries should be scanned asap as retinal bleeding is often a precursor of stroke.  

My GP sent me for a scan and they found my right carotid artery was over 46% blocked and my left carotid artery was fine.  I had a stress test at my cardiologist's 6 months prior to that and my heart was pronounced fine.  They prescribed statins which have some unpleasant, disturbing side effects including painful muscle spasms and memory loss.  Sometimes I substitute red yeast rice - stenols - ubiquinol - garcinia cambogia which have been helping with high cholesterol reduction but cannot be taken in tandem with statins.  

3.  A pain in my URQ has returned after a 3 year hiatus.  I've never had gallstones but after many tests, the specialist stated the terrible attacks were likely bilary dysfunction (blocked or spasming bile ducts).  The specialist advised that too little was understood about these problems and removing the gallbladder often did not solve the problem, so I was prescribed nitroglycerin tablets.  It's been over a year since I took the last tablet and now I'm out & my new ins doesn't cover the specialist.

Over the past weeks the sharp pains up the neck have increased.  I've noticed that when the near constant URQ ache / twisting suddenly increases it is often followed by the sharp neck pain.  Or it just happened the other way around.    

Does anyone else have any of the corresponding symptoms or just 2 of them?  I don't want to drop dead before the doctors figure out what is happening.

Thanks!

[misteree]

Pay attention to the nerves in your neck and back, as certain back injuries and (herniated discs and compressions) can cause nerve pain (neuralgia). If the nerve going from your spine to a certain part of your body (say, for example, your heart, or your esophageal area) is compressed, it may be causing pain. Maybe talk to your doctor about that. If anti-inflammatories (even NSAID's) or muscle relaxers help the pain any, this may be why. Good luck.

[misteree]

It sounds as if your providers were thorough, and there is some sort of underlying pathology (perhaps a neuropathy secondary to a viral or bacterial infection). With pain being around the carotid artery area, it's difficult to determine without clinical diagnostics if the pain is originating from the artery itself or surrounding areas.If the pain is around the carotid artery a cardiologist may also offer diagnostic feedback to rule out any heart or circulatory disease. Additionally, consulting a rhumatologist for immunodeficiencies may not be a bad investment. Diagnostics for systemic infections (bacteriological, mycological, virological) may find the root cause for the infection, but may not (as some infections present in stages and may remain undetected if not actively attacking the system). Knowing the signs (physical indications) and symptoms (pains reported to provider), as well as a thorough medical history is important when considering pathogenesis (the "lifespan" of a disease), as many diagnoses are issued over time, and based upon clinical medical history, signs and symptoms. Good luck. Feel free to reply and keep the community informed.

[Islandchip]

I was diagnosed with Carotidynia, which is a pain syndrome 7 years ago. My neurologist informed me that I had likely contracted it through a viral infection. I also have a lump on right carotid artery. Over the years my neurologists prescribed many muscle relaxers, steroids, beta blockers and pain killers but they never worked and they gave me an ulcer and multiple stomach bleeds. Ask your doctor to send you to a neurologist! My pain started with a year long ice pick like stabbing ear ache that traveled, so I thought, to my carotid artery. My neurologist explained that the pain was actually travelling from my carotid artery up to my ear like a vine travelling up a wall. He explained that the nerves are sensitive and they travel up the right side of my head during an episode. Three years after being initially diagnosed I now get debilitating migraines. The fact of the matter is that there is little information on this pain syndrome and relief can be hit or miss. Two neurologists and an ear nose and throat specialist diagnosed me after a year of suffering unbelievable pain. Take charge of your health and follow up with a specialist. All the best. Take care.

[thompsonhm]

Just got back from my dr. with the left side neck pain. He said it was inflammation in the carotid  artery wall. He gave me a muscle relaxer and said to use Tylenol for the inflammation and wet heat compresses. Condition is called carotidynia or 'carotid pain.

[BigBadLulu]

My partner...51 yr old white female...has been having the same painful sensations.  To be on the safe side, she's going to start taking an 81mg aspirin daily.  COULDN'T HURT!!!  =¶

[creed30]

Try seeing a Hematologist. It could be that your lymph nodes are swollen. This could explain pain in neck and pain in abdomen. See mesenteric adenitis.

[Nosretep]

It's 2am and I'm up trying to find something to ease this pain. It has been coming and going for three days now. I am on Hypertension and Bad Cholesterol medication and I am 35Years of age. Is this normal?

[TerriR]

When I was 47 my doctor just happened to hear a bruit, sent me for an ultrasound, then an MRI.  I was 90% blocked in the left carotid artery.  They did surgery and cut and reconnected the artery.  Almost three years later, same thing, but this time it's the external carotid artery, 100% blocked.  No surgery this time.  I do have pain in the neck. Thought it was the scar tissue from the past surgery.  If you are not sure about anything, please get it checked.  If you're lucky, you will have some kind of symptom.  Don't ignore them!

[achillea]

One-sided carotid pain can be caused by a number of things, but when no abnormality of the artery can be found, it is worthwhile to think of a condition called carotidynia or 'carotid pain.'

I've had it, and in my case, it was a variant of migraine, strange as that may seem, and migraine treatment took care of it.  Here is more info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carotidynia

Of course, the term can be googled for much more explanation.

[tendof]

hullo  there am in my mid 20z experiencing  same neck pain   and shoulder pain that switches  from one  side to the other . i was  so worried i had no idea  what to do .. i tried some anti bacterial and painkillers like pelox and zerodol. it helped for a while but later  failed
untill  i sat and asked my self who the greatest doctor was  and it was JESUS  so i knelt down and rebuked  all the illnes in my body  to go in HIS name  i commanded sickness out  and i  feel so much better now and really hopeful

[Flycaster305]

I'd suggest you refer to Ed34's post of August 16, and insist on a cath procedure if you think your carotids are blocked.  The procedure is difinitive, recorded, and you can review the images/findings.  I've had the test because of my many heart blockage issues, and I have a 40% blockage in both carotid arteries, not even close to needing a procedure.

I'd recommend you have a cath if you think your carotid arteries are blocked, and if the results are negative, back off and look at other issues.  If they are blocked, you have no idea how invasive the procedure is to clear them until you experience it.
  

[sufish]

Dismissive docs -- Seriously.  They create an incentive to withhold any info about prior diagnosis of depression or anxiety or meds, b/c the minute you mention it, they stop listening to symptomology.  I even had a doc paraphrase my symptoms and timing to suggest it related solely to my meds. Even when I corrected him, he got more dismissive and I could practically see him stamping me as "emotional" in his mind.  I'm tired of docs using these issues as a means of discounting my own statement of my experiences. I would think I'm the expert about what is happening in my body and if it's new or not. Sure they're the experts about analyzing the symptoms, but for their analysis to be correct, they have to be applying their expertise to the right symptoms!  As someone with an investigative background, I am shocked any doctor would be so quick to jump to conclusions and then selectively hear or tweak the information to support their theory!  Sloppy.  ANd worse, Dangerous!

I, however, have been very lucky to find a main doc, an internist, who does listen.  She has now taken over coordinating a number of tests (cardiologist, opthalmologist, neurologist), etc., and finding referrals to people who will listen.  Even those who might not have given me as much time if i walked in on my own or with a less proactive internist, they at least listen to her.  Someone also mentioned that there are health care advocates you can get to assist you in coordinating/advocating.  I am not sure if they are nurses or if this is covered, but I happened to have found an "advocate" in my primary doc/internist who is coordinating and advocating.   Good luck with your health problems!

[Cat_Silver]

I haven't had any pain in the carotid area of my neck in a couple of weeks. In answer to your question, I had a MRI and bone scan, neck down, in 2005. They showed only mild osteoarthritis. My spine at the base of my neck has been sore for a few years. The spinal column feels compressed at that point. I'm thinking Cranial Sacral.

[ed34]

"Even if one is somewhat blocked, sufficient blood supply remains"

Not in everyone, some patients seem to suffer a variety of symptoms. The big issue here isn't whether there is enough blood anyway, the big issue is the possibility of stroke. When a Carotid artery becomes diseased, the risk of stroke increases dramatically.
Has anyone looked for arthritic problems in the vertebrae in your neck area?