Back of Head/Neck

[Curious_Vol]

In the back of my neck where the top of my neck meets the back of my head, I have a lingering pain. I also feel pain in he top of my pac and around my shoulderblades. I get tingling pains in my fingers and tensing feelings in my arms. I also feel pain in my forearms of tingling and tightening. The final place there is pain I worry about is above my ears on each side. The tingling pains in my hands are mostly at the tips or index finger. I can also feel it in my legs. What could this be? How serious is it?

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Thanks for writing to the forum!
The symptoms could be due to spinal nerve compression at the upper cervical level. Neck strain, spondylotic changes in cervical vertebrae, bone disease or bad posture should be looked into. You may need a MRI to rule this out. Consult a neurologist. You may also need nerve conduction study. Peripheral vascular pathologies have to be ruled out either by angiograms or by dopplar studies.
You could possibly be suffering from glove-and-stocking neuropathy There are many causes of this nerve disorder including diabetes, hypothyroidism, chronic involvement of liver or kidney, chronic alcohol use etc. Demyelinating peripheral neuropathies like  Vitamin B12 deficiency too should be looked into.
Hope this helps. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!

[Curious_Vol]

I also twitch with my arms and legs randomly.