Had Thyroid Ablated. Have Swollen Lymph Node And Tight Muscle Shoulder

Posted on Sun, 20 Oct 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 19 Oct 2013 Answered on

Thu, 7 Nov 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : I had thyroid ablated 4 years ago. Last three day my lymph node on left side of neck is swollen and sore. In mornings I cant move neck until ibuprofen starts working. When I turn neck to right I can feel the tissue pulling. No other symptoms other than tight shoulder muscles

Answered by Dr. Shehzad Topiwala (-4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Could be inflammation of the nodes

Detailed Answer:
It is important to have this evaluated thoroughly. Sometimes radiation to the neck can cause such problems but typically ablation is restricted to the overactive thyroid gland. I am assuming it was done for this reason.

You should not ignore this, nor just treat it symptomatically with ibuprofen alone. You should see your primary care physician who will likely order bloodwork as well as strongly consider ultrasound of the neck to assess the swelling in detail.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar