Suggest Treatment For Pain On The Side Of The Neck And Inner Ear

Posted on Mon, 9 Jan 2017

Question: I am 28 years old and a male. I had my gallblader removed 2 years ago. For the last month, I have been having sharp pains that begin in my right side of my neck and travel up my neck and to my inner ear. I feel it very prominently in the artery in my neck and my inner ear.

Answered by Dr. Saddiq Ulabidin (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Needs to be examined for shingles

Detailed Answer:
Hi! Welcome to health care magic! Thanks for sharing your concerns with us. We will try to help you in best way possible. First of all, it is sad to know what you had been experiencing lately.

Based on the history you have shared, it can be herpes zoster or shingles in some cervical dermatome and needs to be ruled out on careful examination of the sites of pains and outer ear. It can present woth pains or burning sensations or irritation few days before the onset of rash.

Outer ear should also be examined by an ENT specialist in detail for any signs of local infection which can affect the nerves and lead to such referred pains. Another possibility is to rule out trigeminal neuralgia but whatever it is, most likely it is due to nerve involvement.

A dental OPG or Xray covering root canals and denture as well as CT scan may also be needed to look for any local causes of nerve entrapment.

Meanwhile for pains you can use OTC analgesics like acetaminophen or nerve pain suppressants like gaba pentins or duloxetine after discussing with your GP.

Wishing you a speedy recovery. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask. Regards

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T