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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Sharp Neck Pain While Laughing And Breathing?

Hi, I have this problem for a few days, every couple of months. Whenever I laugh, cough, sneeze, breath in hard through the nose or bend over to reach for something on the floor, I have a sharp pain in the back of my head right above my neck. A ct-scan of the sinuses was all clear, what could this be?
posted on Fri, 14 Mar 2014
Twitter Tue, 30 May 2017 Answered on
Twitter Tue, 30 May 2017 Last reviewed on
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Sports Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Hi. You are describing pain during a Valsalva maneuvre which means increasing abdominal pressure. The area under your skull is possibly where your cervical spine starts and meets the skull. The increased pressure can lead to stretching of the structures or nerve impingement, which causes the pain. A MRI scan of the C-spine which includes the open mouth view will be more helpful, as it will show all structures including soft tissues and bone.
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What Causes Sharp Neck Pain While Laughing And Breathing?

Hi. You are describing pain during a Valsalva maneuvre which means increasing abdominal pressure. The area under your skull is possibly where your cervical spine starts and meets the skull. The increased pressure can lead to stretching of the structures or nerve impingement, which causes the pain. A MRI scan of the C-spine which includes the open mouth view will be more helpful, as it will show all structures including soft tissues and bone.