Question
QUESTION: Dr Verma,

Not sure if you can help. for 3 weeks i have had a dull pain around the right side of my lower throat (just above the adams apple and to the side). I went to an ENT and he examined my throat and felt my neck and glands and found nothing. However the pain is still there and is the most noticeable when i swallow food fast or too much of it and also when i twist my neck to the right. Do you have any idea what this could be? does it seem muscular in nature?  would appreciate any advice

thanks

RUss

ANSWER: Hi Russ,

Based on your explanation and the negative findings by the ENT, I believe that you are having a muscle spasm or tension in the sternocleidomastoid(SCM) muscle and also the sternohyoid muscle. Both of these muscles are located the front of your neck next to the throat. The first thing to rule out was lymph nodes which you did. The pain you feel turning your head to the right points to that SCM muscle which is responsible for that action. Usually we see this on people who have recently suffered a neck injury like a whiplash injury. They tend to resolve themselves and you can heat and lightly stretch your neck to the left which will loosen it up. A good massage or even acupuncture can help with the symptoms as can a visit to the chiropractor who does some muscle work also. You may also want to follow up with your doctor to check for other issues (thyroid) etc.. Hope that helps. Feel free to follow up.

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QUESTION: Thank you Dr Verma! I appreciate the quick reply. I forgot to mention the pain is not consistently present.  i dont feel it every single time i turn my head or every time i swallow. just sometimes and its very subtle.  ive sprained my neck before and thats not what this feels like. it actually feels like the sensation you would get from a swollen lymph gland, but as I pointed out thats not the cause.  any other tips would be great :)

Warm regards,

Russ

ANSWER: Hi Russ,

Thanks for the clarification. Yes, what I described would be more consistent in terms of symptoms. I would suggest then a visit with the endocrinologist or specialist to rule out thyroid type issues or other pathology. Everything I search for says lymph node or other infection too. The consensus is to take the testing further than just the gland check and possibly into blood test to rule out pathology. As this is beyond my scope, I defer to those specialists for this. Good luck with it and I hope you feel better.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Dr Verma- I actually saw an endocrinologist in March and had a physical with pretty extensive blood work back in October and everything was fine.  Any other suggestions? Would a chiropractic treatment be a good idea?

thanks again!

Answer
It cannot make it worse to get adjusted at the chiropractor. Preferably one who also does some soft tissue type work also like myofascial release or active release. It sounds as if you have done your due diligence in terms of ruling out pathology so it comes back to soft tissue.