Joint Pain

Is this muscle pain or a nerve problem?

I've been having a shooting, sharp pain for a few months now that starts at the back of my head and shoots down the whole left side of my neck. The pain starts behind my ear, and it goes down the entire length of neck ending at my shoulder blade. This only happens on the left side and it comes suddenly and ends suddenly. There's no warning when it comes and depending on the day it can last for a few minutes or a few hours. I'm not sure if its a muscle or a nerve. I feel that it may be a nerve since when it happens it only have in one particular place and goes straight down my neck, but it never happens on the right side. I don't play sports and the only exercise I do its the treadmill. If it is a nerve what exactly am I suppose to do about it and can I can take something over the counter for it?

Public Comments

1. Probably an anxiety reaction
2. It is just work stress. Don't think on which side the pain's working just try to relax when it happens and close your eyes thinking the best moment of your life. But never stress on mind when it happens. Don't sit in front of your T. V., computer or don't use any of your techno gadgets for a long time (try avoiding them even if it's listening to your walkman or music system). If you are working, please take rests after every half or one hour of working and then continue and never stress your brain while working. If its possible watch T. V. from a distance of atleast 5ft and if its very urging, listen to calm music with very low volume pts.
3. This sounds more like nerve pain. The doctor will generally ask you,"On a scale of 1-10 how bad is you pain, what type of pain is it? Sharp, Pulsating,Deep, Prickly, Hot,...." Believe it or not Patients do give names to their pain. For instants, I suffer from Sciatic pain, its a nerve that runs from the buttocks down the leg to the foot and when that nerve hurts my pain is a sharp, shooting, stabbing pain that can bring me down. Other people with the same thing describe their pain as burning pain like their leg is on fire and that's how the nerve disorder got its name as the Serpentine Fire. Usually Deep pain, and you can feel deep pain, is nerve pain. Nerve pain runs further along the body than muscle does that's why you can pretty much rule out the idea that its a muscle. If I were you I'd go see your doctor, and if you can get him to let you see a neurologist first without going to a Physical Therapist (PT) first then you've got it made but your journey has just started my dear. What ever you do don't see a chiropractor! See your doctor. Please let me know what he says. Good Luck and God Bless and do take it easy.