← Return to Pulsatile tinnitus Q&A w/ Mayo Clinic expert, Dr. Breen July 16

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Dr. Breen - I had COVID Sept 5th 2024 that began with headache and severe neck pain - and that's when my tinnitus and pulsatile tinnitus began. I've had MRI's but not a CT scan. I've had dental recommendations, and wearing a dental appliance at night. My neck pain and stiffness has not greatly improved so I did see an orthopedic physician who prescribed PT to focus on the SCM muscle as he felt it was viral nerve damage, I recently saw another ENT (have seen 3) and he said he believed it was glossopharyngeal nerve neuralgia and has prescribed low dose gabapentin - the pulsatile tinnitus comes and goes and the tinnitus can be severe but also can come and go - I can have a good day with little tinnitus, and then a bad day with severe tinnitus - I realize not easy to diagnose based on a comment - but based on any previous post COVID cases, can you make any recommendations based on what I've been doing to this point? I appreciate your opinion.

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Replies to "Dr. Breen - I had COVID Sept 5th 2024 that began with headache and severe neck..."

It's very hard to give you a specific answer without seeing all your records and scans. When it is neck-related, it makes me think about PT caused by blood flowing through veins. It's tough to push hard enough on your neck to collapse the carotid artery - but the veins are easily compressed. My first test of choice for a patient with that specific symptom is often a CT scan of the temporal bones (the ear), potentially with contrast. Also, some patients find that treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) help them manage symptoms that modern medicine or surgery can't completely fix - this could be something to investigate. Wishing you the best on your treatment journey!