What Causes Soreness In The Left Side Of The Neck?

Posted on Wed, 10 May 2017

Question: I'm experiencing soreness on the left side of my neck that starts from my shoulder area. It doesn't bother me so much at work but when I get home it gradually gets worse but tolerable especially when I sit down to watch TV. But last night it was pretty bad because I could not go to sleep because the pain was pretty bad but I did manage to get maybe 4 hours of sleep. It seems worse when I get up and get ready to go to work but as soon as I get to work everything seems fine, some soreness but negligible. BTW, I'm 59 years old and I've been sleeping on my stomach most of my life, therefore the my neck is bent a little but I have never experience anything like this before, and it started about a month ago. Let me know what I need to do? Thanks.

Answered by Dr. Neeraj Kumar (38 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Take treatment as advised

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I have gone through your question and understand your concern.
Most likely there is muscle spasm. Possibility of cervical spondylosis cannot be ruled out.
Take pain killers with muscle relaxant like aceclofenac or diclofenac with tizanidine or thiocholchicoside.
Local pain reliever ointment can also be taken.
Xray of cervical spine can be done if adequate relief is not seen even after 1 week of therapy.
Hope you found the answer helpful.
Regards
Dr N Kumar
Neurologist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad