Have Painful Lumps Behind Ear, Neck And On Scalp. Taken Tylenol. Is This Tension Headache?

Posted on Wed, 26 Jun 2013

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

Wed, 26 Jun 2013 Answered on

Thu, 18 Jul 2013 Last reviewed on

Question : In the last three days three lumps have formed and are painful to the touch. One is behind my ear, one is on my neck just below the ear and one is red and on the scalp. the scalp is the only red one. Is this a tension headache? I do not feel Ill in any way but I do feel soreness in my neck. They responded to tylenol and it dulled the pain should I be worried

Answered by Dr. Shanthi E (2 hours later)

Hi,

Yes, this is a concern. You cannot ignore it.

The three lumps need to be addressed medically. How did they appear all of a sudden in the last three days? Were you exposed to an infective agent (being in the woods, pool etc.)?

To me, the lumps seem like enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, secondary to an infection. These lumps need to be palpated to look at their consistency, size and shape. We need to check for associated symptoms like fever, sore throat, cough et al.

Good they responded to Tylenol and dulled the pain. However, if it is of infective etiology, you need to take a course of antibiotics.

Let me know if anything unusual happened in the last three days. Awaiting your response.

Regards,

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