Vocalist.org archive


From:  "John Messmer, M.D." <jjm23@p...>
"John Messmer, M.D." <jjm23@p...>
Date:  Mon Jul 16, 2001  12:00 pm
Subject:  RE: [vocalist] Weird Neck Pain


Does it hurt to swallow? There is a condition called carotidynia which
is an inflammation around the carotid artery that is probably caused by
a virus. It can send pain to the ear, sinus, teeth and throat. It is
self-limited and has no long term effects. Anti-inflammatories help but
are only for symptoms.

A similar problem, stylodynia, is inflammation around the styloid
process, a long bone that attaches to the mastoid, the round prominence
behind your ear. Usually it doesn't hurt to sing or talk with this.

Of course, you say it has been ongoing a couple months so that tends to
argue against a viral infection. If it hurts to eat, there could be a
blocked salivary gland under your jaw.

Just a few thoughts.

John

John Messmer, M.D.


a new problem has been plaguing me
for the past couple of months...an on
again/off again pain in my neck, sometimes extending all the
way to my left ear. The pain is not actually in my throat, but rather,
it hurts a lot when i touch the area extending from almost the
middle of my neck to my ear, almost pefectly outlining the
underpart of my jaw. My singing is fine, but after a few minutes,
the pain gets worse and worse, and I have to stop singing. this
happens with talking as well.


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