Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

SCM muscle and possibly TMJ?? NEED ADVICE

Ok i'm new here and i'm posting this in hopes someone else has experieced this or had something similar.
Back in April i started having pains in my upper left shoulder and would cause tingling down my arm and into my fingers.  Then I started noticing the muscle that runs down the side of my neck on the left looked larger and kind of stood out. The pain in my arm would get intense but mostly on days that i used it alot(i have a 2 yr old that likes to be carried everywhere)  Within days i started getting dizzy here and headaches that felt like sinus headaches.  This started causing me alot of anxiety and i went to the dr because on top of all this i started having a feeling of something in my throat when i would swallow.  She felt my neck and said everything felt normal but she felt the left side was really tight.(she took xrays of the whole area and everything looked ok on that) She started me on Zoloft as well because my anxiety was beginning to interfere with my home life. Started having major stuffiness in my left ear and pain behind and in front of my ear and when i would open my mouth my jaw made cracking noises. Some mornings when i would wake up my jaw on the left side would be locked.  Dr recommended seeing ENT about my ears and throat and the fact that while all this was going on i was constantly having allergy problems.  The ENT did scope down throat said everything looked inflamed and diagnosed LPR and allergies. She also felt the side of my neck and said nothing feels abnormal but that muscle on the left side is larger and alot tighter and also my trapezius muscle on that side is very tight too.  Both my dr and ENT recommended getting massages with trigger point therapy on that side so i've went for the past two weeks.  The massage therapists agreed that my left side is really really tight and after the first session my ear stuffiness went away but my jaw was still clicking just not as bad but i've still woken up a few mornings with my jaw on the left side locked.  After my second session last week i started feeling better but my SCM muscle still looks enlarged and noticeable and i'm not sure if it's cause my allergies are acting up again but my ear stuffiness has came back the past few days.  My question is has anyone with TMJ had a similar experience and secondly even though my neck started hurting before my jaw problems is it possible i have had TMJ and it is the cause for my SCM muscle to constantly stay tight and it's just causing a chain reaction? The massage therapist and ENT were the ones that braught up TMJ and told me the name of the paticulat muscle that is large so i've been constantly searching the internet for months for answers. With this muscle being swollen looking i've been terrifed of cancer or something but every dr says they dont feel any swollen lymph nodes, but i have two young children and i'm only 26 so i cant help but to stay worried that this problem after 3 months hasnt went away.
I will say after first massage session my arm feels alot better as far as the pain that was going down it but my actual shoulder feels very stiff.  Also as a side note when i go to "flex" my neck on the right side you can see my muscles and tendons but on the left its like it cant budge its so tight.  In total i've seen my dr 5 times, ENT 2 and massage therapist 2 and seeing her for a 3rd time tomorrow.  My friend is a PA and i've got an appt with her neck week to get her opinion on all this but was curious if anyone else has ever experienced this before.
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
Try getting an appointment with a neurologist I think he can give you a better answer.
Helpful - 0
1766277 tn?1313612569
No clue what's going on. Sounds like tired mom syndrome, just joking. I hope they figure it out for you cause that sounds super painful. Sorry I don't have any insight on you, switch arms? :)
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Undiagnosed Symptoms Community

Top General Health Answerers
363281 tn?1643235611
Nelson, New Zealand
1756321 tn?1547095325
Queensland, Australia
19694731 tn?1482849837
AL
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Discharge often isn't normal, and could mean an infection or an STD.
In this unique and fascinating report from Missouri Medicine, world-renowned expert Dr. Raymond Moody examines what really happens when we almost die.
Think a loved one may be experiencing hearing loss? Here are five warning signs to watch for.
When it comes to your health, timing is everything
We’ve got a crash course on metabolism basics.
Learn what you can do to avoid ski injury and other common winter sports injury.