Terrible neck, jaw and ear pain!!!! Help please.

[twowonteat]

Last week, I woke with a headache…not uncommon since I grind and have TMJ…and other than that I felt fine.  Sometime that morning, I think I yawned and pulled the muscles in my neck and jaw on my right side.  Not thinking too much of it, I waited for the pain to stop.  This was last week and it has not subsided.  It is sore in my neck to the touch, and the pain radiates into my ear and lower jaw.  Neither the jaw or the ear are sore to the touch.  My primary care dr. gave me Ceclor for a sinus infection after a few days because it sounded sinus related to her.  Has not helped.  I went to the ER yesterday because of the pain and they thought I had torn my carotid artery!  After an ultrasound of both sides of my neck, everything was normal so that was not the problem.  They said I probably just pulled muscles when I yawned and gave me advil and valium for muscle relief.  Not working!  Still in so much pain.  I am seeing my dentist later today to rule out a tooth, and my chiropractor after that to rule out cervical spine issues.  I am thinking it just might all be my neck bones because for the past few months, every time I jar myself or one of my sons gets a little rough I feel pinching pain in the right side of my neck.  I have a previous injury there from a car accident 10 years ago so maybe it’s out again?  

Can anyone offer me any ideas as to what this can be?

[twowonteat]

Well, the dentist said it's not a tooth.  The chiropractor had made the most sense and has actually helped me.  He put on gloves and went into my mouth and massaged a muscle close to where the jaw meets and I thought I was going to die when he touched it!  He then went right to the area in my neck where the pain was and massaged there too.  He also adjusted my neck which I apparently needed badly...the pressure release was instant and the pain gone within minutes.  He then did massage in other areas of my head and some electronic accupuncture.  Mind you, I am still hurting muscle wise, but the structual pain is gone...if that makes any sense.  He told me to keep up the advil and the vallium for a week along with his treatment and my own massage at home.  I still can't open my mouth without the pain, but I do feel much better.  The pain went from a 10 to about a 7 in one treatment and he thinks I will only need two more treatments.  He did suggest that I get a night guard to help me with the grinding and clenching I do while I sleep.  I hope this helps you as well.  I was reluctant to try this, but I will not be in the future!  Chiropractic works!!!

[terri1234]

I don't know because I've had kind of the same problem for about 3 years.  Do you have trouble forming words because of the pain and feel any pulling?  I even had a cervical fusion which did not help.  I think its in my back and it causes my muscles to pull down, but this is me.  

Just letting you know its a hard one for the doctors to figure out and you are right to try every avenue.  Let me know if you figure it out!!