Strange aching, sore spot deep in left front neck/throat

I have the exact same symptoms as the original post. A feeling of sore muscles on the right side of my esophagus. Periodically I have the "tendon sliding over something" feeling, and it's gotten caught several times. I have to manually push the tendon or muscle over whatever it got stuck on. It's very sore today, causing a hard time swallowing, and talking loudly. It's not inside my throat. I'm not sick. It's not swollen. It's not at my lymph nodes. It feels like a pulled muscle but I haven't done anything to cause a pulled muscle. The answer to this post, by the doctor, doesn't seem to fit my problem. Not sure what to do. There doesn't seem to be any answers posted on here. I'm eagerly awaiting a useful post.

Hi everyone!

I live in Turkey, and believe me it looks like we have the same problem around the world! 

The first time this strange pain began was last year. When I woke up in the morning there was an exact point in my front neck, next to Adam’s apple – very painful and strange. I went to ENT – nothing. I don’t feel the pain in my throat; it is somewhere deeper than my throat. I went for an ultrasound, because I thought it was Carotid artery inflammation, but nothing there too! I had an ultrasound of my lymph nodes and thyroids, again nothing!

Finally, I went to a physical therapist. She said, although it is not common and it could be the straining of the deep sternocleidomastoid muscle. She was not sure tough, but it sounded like the best possible explanation. I feel like it is a muscle strain too, because in certain positions the pain is felt more. Like when I want to feel the pain in order to understand where it is, I have to make put my jaw and neck in funny positions – there is no easy way to explain this J

Lastly, I am a highly anxious person – especially regarding health related matters. I panic easily, think about the worst scenarios, I have bruxism and usually I have muscle pains in my back and neck almost every day. I grind my teeth so tight at night that I even created a hole in the apparatus that I wear at night.  I feel like if I relax mentally and physically, it may help with the pains and specifically this one.

same thing here

I have had this dull pain deep in my left neck and ear area for for over a year. Multiple trips to ENT can't feel or see anything. The pain sometimes goes away for days at a time but always comes back. Usually it's activated when I touch my nose or put on / take shirt off. Had chest X-ray, breathing test, thyroid examined all ok. History of chronic tonsillitis but haven't been sick since this started. Any help would be appreciated.

I believe I have found the answer to this problem. After years of searching, I found a paper from the 1950's talking about Vascular Pain. What we all have is essentially a migraine in the carotid artery. From the paper: “Vascular neck pain has been referred to only occasionally, and apparently never has been described in detail in the medical literature. Most physicians have not made this diagnosis, although the condition is not rare.” Read this paper and you will feel like you've found the best doctor in the world. It's treatable (muscle relaxers and pain meds) and chronic, caused by stress. It is often made worse by fears of worse conditions and by constant touching of the area. The paper pointed out that once the patient is diagnosed properly there is relief and a relief of symptoms.

 ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** web addresses not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

Read my reply. You have Vascular Neck Pain. I posted a paper about the common but often undiagnosed condition.

You have Vascular Neck Pain. Read my post including the medical paper. Vascular Neck Pain presents without inflammation and is essentially a migraine in the carotid artery. Fascinating read.

I have the exact same symptoms. Did you ever find out what it was?

I have the same symptoms and have suffered miserably. I've been to probably 10 doctors over the years trying to figure out what this is. In the last two years the pain has gotten worse. I saw an ENT two months ago who diagnosed me with Hyoid Bone Disorder. He prescribed Naproxen and muscle relaxers. Nothing seems to work.

Hi, (sorry for my english, I am french..)
My life was hell the last 14 months, neck pain, ear pain, throat pain like streps, no much pain during night but more and more during the day because of movements, huge headaches, chronical caugh, it was like having gripal symptoms every day. I saw 8 Dr's, I was sent to an universitary investigation center and no diagnostic... so conclusion, I it was probably psychological... pffff...
Finally I recently had a surgery to remove a recidiving thyroglossal cyst (small one). They had to remove part of the hyoide bone (Sistrunk protocol) to avoide another recidive. The Dr told me after the surgery that the body of the bone which he had to remove was huge and like infected and/or inflamated, it never saw a hyoide bone like this one, the diameter was 3 to 4 times normal size.
Since this day most of the symptomas disappeared. But my entire life (work, family.. I have 5 children) has been completely shaked for 1 year, time was stopped... all that because an issue located on a small bone which is not well known to the Dr's.
I fully understand what your life has been during 5 years...
Good luck all and do not hesitate to push hard the medical staff, they are humans and for those rare disases you must find an experienced one which was once already confronted to this particularity.
Cheers

I went to a top ent because I had the clicking in the middle of my throat. This is very rare so most ents and especially doctors don't know or think of it. Our bodies naturally calcify over time and rarely people have advanced calcification. My hyloid membrane had calcified and would get caught on an extra bone that grew over the hyloid. This hurt like hell. He shaved the calcification and extra bone down and it's all better. Good luck on your problem.

Did they ever find out what was wrong? I have exactly what you are describing...for a year and a half now...The pain is ridiculous!

I get the same issues but usually when I have had a bad virus or bacterial infection and then it seems like it goes straight to the front part of my throat. For me it's quite painful .Talking seems to make it feel worse it's a very tight feeling. Many years ago when I first had an episode like this the doctor told me the name of it I can't remember but I do remember he put me on steroids and that is what helped my body fight the inflammation that was going on. Ibuprofen was not helping, it never does. So when we moved to a new place and I became sick with the same thing I had to basically train and prove to my new doctor that steroids, not antibiotics alone, are the only things that help me get over it. She was pleasantly surprised. Now it's just what we do.

Hi! I came across this post googling for solutions. From my ear lobe on the left, if you go two inches down, that is where the localized pain is. It is like a gland or lymp right near that muscle. It can't be felt but comes and goes with odd sensations. If I turn my head a certain way or if I swallow (only certain times) it's a odd pressure, not really pain just so hard to describe. I was told to suck on a lemon and ice it which I did and it went away for a few days only to return again. It comes and goes and I use ice and heat on it but it never really leaves. I have been to two doctors, an ENT and my dentist. My next step
Is to do a scan on it. It isn't majorly painful but it's enough to make me worry. This has been going on for five months. It started with clogged ears, a right ear infection and swollen glands. The doctor gave me a shot of cortisone and some antibiotics. That cleared up the ear infection but that little glad was still bothering me. I then got a more "specific" 10 day antibiotic which did nothing so I visited the ENT. He said ears, nose and throat look good, go see your dentist. Went to the dentist and x-rays were fine. I then went and got a lymphatic drainage massage and she said try sucking on a lemon to see if that gives your glands a little shock! Did that and iced it and felt better for about five days. I thought I was in the clear and then it came back. Took some prolosec and felt better then it came back. The fact that it keeps coming back is what had me so worried. Sometimes, I will feel lower jaw pain also but mostly it is that one little spot on the left side of my neck.

Does anyone have answers? I have the pain down the front of my neck to my chest and when I move my arm I can feel popping. I'm tired of going to the er.