Pain in neck for 3 weeks now. Worried

[drewsif204]

About 3 weeks ago i started having dull pains and 'spasms' in my neck, mainly one left side close to my carotid artery. I ended up going to urgent care and saw a doctor who gave me the roughest neck exam of my life to the point where i thought she was going to strangle me. Days after that my pains got worse and i started to feel sick and i ended up going to the ER in hopes of finding what was wrong with my neck and if the previous doctor may have in fact made it worse. Long story short they did a physical examination on me without any tests and prescribed me pain killers and some rest. Then of course when i got home that night i stumped upon the topic of carotid  aneurysms on the internet. Since then im worried that i have an aneurysm thats moments away from bursting every time i move my head or while im going about my daily living. I had a cat scan about 2 months ago for a different neck issue and besides that am a healthy 21yr old with no other health conditions. Is this a reasonable concern or just my anxiety manifesting an issue. Opinions?

[Slangevar]

A CT scan should've spotted any swelling in your artery. If it was your carotid artery, I suspect they also should have been able to see the swelling in your neck.

I'm having some weird neck issues at the moment, too... my first thoughts were aneurysm and MS, but I think it's actually just muscle pain from working at my computer for too long. Computer work is one of the biggest causes of head and neck pain. Yoga and meditation help quite a bit, as does laying off the computer for a few days.

One other possibility: An ear issue. I get pain and swelling on the side of my neck whenever my ear gets plugged up. Sometimes I feel the neck issues before I even  notice my ear is plugged up.

[drewsif204]

Thats what i was thinking about the CT can. But could something change from then till now (3 months) ?

[drewsif204]

Nobody?

[dawn09]

I have been dealing with a burning pain in the left side of my neck now for about 2 months. It comes and goes, and I have been to 3 different drs over it because I was worried that it could be a problem with my carotid artery also. None of them seemed the slightest bit concerned, although I got two of them to listen to my arteries and they said they sounded just fine. They all seem to think it is a musculoskeletal issue. I am trying really hard to believe that is all it is because the burning gets really bad at times, and it is very close to where the artery is. I am only 27 though, and I don't smoke or anything, and my dr told me I really don't have a reason to be worrying about my artery. So I understand where you are coming from, and hopefully things will start easing up for the both of us.

[Slangevar]

Dawn is right - the symptoms you're both describing are usually the result of a musculoskeletal issue. They're on the rise because of the increased amount of time we all spend sitting at our desks, staring at monitors.

The other possibility is an ear issue, which are also on the rise at the moment because of winter heaters and the start of spring allergies.

[Vigilante]

I actually had a bad stiff neck with burning sensations going into my traps and shoulders which went on for weeks, changed to one pillow at night and boom gone.