sharp ear/scalp pain

[redsoxchik]

I'm a 27 y/o female who is having sharp knifing pains in my ear, shooting out to the top-left side of my scalp. Its quite debilitating. I don't have any sinus issues. I'm wondering why the otc migraine meds aren't working. I'm in tears because I'm not sure what is going on. The pain either starts in the ear and shoots up to the top-left side of my scalp, resonating deep like a stabbing or it just starts on the scalp. I'm wondering if this is something that should be looked into or if its just a migraine. ANY help would much appreciated!!!

[Eric P Wilkinson, MD]

Hi Redsox,

This could be several things: it could be related to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain, otic neuralgia (a pain in the ear), occipital nerve pain (a sensory nerve that goes up to the scalp), or it could be a headache syndrome.  Trigeminal neuralgia does not usually go to the scalp.

I would recommend a thorough ENT evaluation and audiometry to exclude any other cause for this.  A neurology evaluation may also be helpful.


This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical
advice - the information presented is for patients education only.
Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your
individual case.

[Nancy T]

I don't know, but when I had some extremely sharp, shock-like pains below my ears, I initially attributed them to "sinus" problems because I had no idea what else they could be--at that time I was still assuming that my little "nose headaches" were from sinuses, when I'm sure now the headaches were migraines. (I actually have NEVER had sinus problems.)

However, I now think those zapping pains were a small instance of trigeminal neuralgia. Because a few months later, I began having electric shocks around my eyes and running into the side of my nose and upper lip.

Hopefully the doctor can point you in the right direction, but you might look up a diagram of the trigeminal nerve and see if it looks "familiar." The first time I saw such a diagram, I about fell over backward--it looked exactly like my "shock" pattern!!

However, I never was given any explanation for these shocks. They do an MRI, nothing turns up, and then they can't tell you anything. "Sometimes these things are never diagnosed," as my PCP at the time said.

However, if the pains are bothering you significantly, I'm sure there are different medications they can try you on. Ask your doctor to prescribe something. Good luck!

Nancy T.