Neck pain...very worried

[SleeplessFog]

Ok, so I keep having intermittent neck pain and its really got me worried. I thought it was muscular pain but I have no idea.

I have been diagnosed with Labyrinthitis and feel lightheaded often. A lot of times I get really lightheaded when I try to do exercise or work around the house. I also feel like I can't hold my head up at all.

I am really afraid that there is something wrong in my neck with my arteries or something and thats what is causing me to have the lightheadedness. Or I have a neuromuscular problem and its affecting my neck :( :weep:

I have had 2 CT scans of my head, an MRI, a cardiac echo, an abdominal ultrasound and neck xrays. All show nothing. But I am still afraid there is something terribly wrong in my neck.

The pain is not in the back of my neck, but rather in my throat, in the front. It comes and goes...but its always this sharp shooting pain., I have tried checking myself for tension, sleeping with more neck support, stretching when I sit for long periods, rolling my neck and shoulders. This pain is just there. Its right under my chin.

Its driving my nuts and when it happens it scares me...I am alone today and I am even more nervous about it. I am trying very hard to find a logical reason for it...like...clenching of my teeth causes this or something..but its not working so well:blush:

[SleeplessFog]

Ugh why did I google Parkinson's. My fingers have a tremor and I have had a lot of hand pain in the past 4-5 months.

:lac:

[kathy.x]

i've not had this pain hugely often, but i have had that before - in the same place you have described, however it was just after i quit smoking and i do think it may have been linked to that for me and have not gone to the doctor about it yet. just wanted to say you're not alone! :) i'm sure if you've had all the checks you should be fine!
also - on the google note, i tend to manage to find some way of linking every disease's symptom's i google to something that's happening/happened to me, i'm sure you're perfectly *physically* healthy :) hope the pain stops soon or you get an explanation for it!

[countrygirl]

I have alot of damage to my neck as in hernaited disc and bad arthritis which causes my neck muscles to be in spasm all the time and the most prominent symptom I have is unsteadiness and dizziness. I spent years being investigated by ent for ear problems and it was nothing to do with it. It was only after a neck mri and seeing a neurosurgeon that I found out that tense neck muscles from any cause even as simple as plain tension and anxiety cause unsteadiness and dizziness/vertigo. Neuro explained that your neck bones and muscles have balance receptors in them which send messages to your inner ear so anything affecting either of these will cause faulty messages. I was still a bit sceptical and even had an ultrsound of neck arteries:blush: which were of course completely normal but then both a neighbour and my own husband got neck trouble due to wear and tear and both of them are having exact same dizzy troulbe that I have had for past 15 years!

so it may all be from tense neck muscles. This can also give you a strangled feeling at front of throat or it does with me.

[SleeplessFog]

Thanks for the replies :yesyes:

Can a herniated disc show up on an xray?

I fell after running at the gym. I chalked it up to not drinking enough water before running (was training for a 1/2 marathon at the time). Well I woke up the next day really foggy and lightheaded. That was 3 months ago.

I didn't hit my head or blackout...but Ive had vertigo, imbalance, ear pain and burning sensations in my neck and ears ever since. Luckily the spinning part went away but the lightheadedness and imbalance have remained.

I have never had anxiety or fear like I have had with this inner ear problem. I keep thinking its something elseI've had people tell me that one day I will wake up "and it will just go away". So far I've woken up 96 mornings and I feel the same :doh:

[Burge]

I fell off a ladder and within days was experiencing the symptoms you described. It really frightened me especially as it affected my hearing in one ear. The tests showed I did have a hearing problem caused by the damage to my neck muscles. Apparently. if the arteries in the neck are compressed, the brain doesn't get the right amount of oxygen and sends out confused signals. I had physio on my neck and along with neck massage the problem sorted itself out. I still have to watch my posture, sleep with only one pillow but on the whole, the condition is much better. I find stress tends to aggravate it so a hot water bottle, warm bath or a neck massage keeps it in check.

[countrygirl]

To show up soft tissue problems you need an mri scan - normal x rays only show bone and not the soft tissue inbetween. I had had a normal x ray two weeks before my mri and the x ray was normal but the mri showed the damage well. I have to add that on top of the balance problems I also had pins and needles in bottom of neck.along shoulder and my neck was very stiff and raising mya rm made my neck ache - I also got altered sensation in my face and scalp as in crawling tingling etc.

[SleeplessFog]

I feel like my head is too heavy for my neck. I will try some warm water and a wash cloth. I get twitching in my neck as well, especially if I have been standing a lot and stuff. I don't have any hearing loss, I have buzzing and ringing in my ears.

Nobody I know has ever heard of Labyrinthitis. :wacko: