Ongoing Stiff Neck et al

in reply to @saganjames I am so sorry for your problem(s)! Have you tried trigger point injections or a TENS unit? I have similar problems which the ENT doctor will be addressing soon. I have had great success with trigger point injections to my neck and upper back, and the TENS unit has been a life saver in terms of the pain.
Best of luck

A stiff neck seems to control your whole body, doesn't?
Just wondering if these are 2 different problems.. and yes, I know, so miserable when your specialist do not seem able to offer solutions.
My own 2 cents here us, have you seen a rheumatologist for your neck? He/she may want to do further testing, bloodwork, MRI, etc
This would helpful to rule out any 'arthritic' type of conditions.
This would at least give you some peace of mind... and maybe initiate early treatment for any possible conditions.
Sending you all the best as you hunt down the illusive diagnosis!

Your symptoms could be the result of inflammation and autoimmune
problems related to arthritis. My arthritis started in the neck two years before
finally diagnosed and the last severe flare affected my hearing as well.

For what it is worth, I remained friends with my rheumatologist after she retired, and gave her access to my medical records because she is one of the best diagnosticians. She came up with a diagnosis, which I discussed with a new rheumatologist, who said to me before I could finish my sentence, "you don't have that so you don't have to worry." The fact is that many autoimmune conditions are very difficult to diagnose and a negative test result does not always mean one does not have a particular autoimmune disorder. Shaking my head. Today it seems that doctors just don't have the time they used to have to spend time trying to figure out what is really going on with their patients.

Your conclusion is right on the mark.

Hi Saganjames,
Thank you for posting this question. I have the same pain in my neck, clogged popping sounds in my right ear and diminished hearing in my right ear.
It started for me in Sept 2023 with the clogged ear and popping sounds. My PCP referred me to an audiologist for a hearing test. The Audiologist found that my left ear was on the low side of normal but I had significant hearing loss in my right ear. However when she put the hearing test device on the bone behind my ear the hearing in my right ear was not as bad. The audiologist referred me to an ENT. The ENT looked in my ears and put a scope into my eustachian tube through my nose. He said my eustachian tube looked normal. He could see some sort of blockage behind my ear drum when he looked in my outer ear canal - but the color was normal - it did not look inflamed. He gave me a prescription for 10 day course of Amoxicillin and also recommended that I use Nasacort nasal spray to reduce the congestion in my nasal passages. Neither the Amoxicillin nor the Nasacort have helped. The pain in my neck behind my ears started about two months with mild pain but the pain has been increasing continuously. I went to an Acupuncturist today (only the second time in my life for acupuncture). She
gave me acupuncture treatments for the neck pain and congested right ear.
But I don’t notice any improvement in either of those areas. She thought the neck pain was likely due to stress and suggested relaxation techniques such as meditation to help relieve the stress.
I noticed that you posted a question about neck crepitis in January this year. Do you thunk the crepitis is connected with the ongoing pain in your neck? I also have had crepitis in my neck for many years, but it is significantly worse since the congestion in my ear began. I’ll be watching this thread to see if someone has a solution for us. It would be wonderful to be able to hear clearly and have a pain free neck!

Our situations are similar except that presently I am not in much pain. I don't want it to get worse over time of course. My Ortho said that an xray of my cervix showed very little arthritis, so that was good news. PT has not helped, as is the case so far with everything, including a pulsating massager this week. I am now looking into trigger point injections to my neck and upper back and a TENS unit. I will post any success that occurs. The very best to you.

Hi all, I had an incredibly stiff neck with an autoimmune disorder, Giant Cell Arteritis. With prednisone that went away.
I just found out I need a shoulder replacement. In the last few months I've had a stiff neck, left side with pain in the head. In doing some shoulder exercises, I've found some relief.
There's a chiropractor on-line, Dr. Alan Mandell, who posts a lot of videos for neck and related pain exercises. I find them helpful. Here's one that I like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNMDGSGvf3o

Hi Teri,
Thanks for posting this link. I’ve been doing Dr. Mandrell’s video exercises since you posted the link and my pain is almost gone. Also the congested right ear has also cleared up. What a relief! Thanks so much!

Hi @healthseeker77, I'm glad it's helped you. Take care, Teri