I am having extreme pain on the left side of my neck, jaw and throat. I have a terrible clicking sound in my jaw and the pain radiates down my neck and into my collar bone. I have a wierd feeling and pain when I swallow on the same side. My dr says I have costochronditis, because my ribs on the left side are really painful also. Have any of you had the throat pain, more of a muscular thing than a normal sore throat, along with costo and tmj at the same time. I don't know what else to do for this, I put warm compresses on my jaw and neck, I have been to the Dr numerous times and they just give me motrin. I am really miserable with this and it seems to be getting worse. My Dr did a ct scan of my throat a couple of years ago "(yes I have had this off and on for almost 3 years) The ct scan came back normal, also had an x ray of my ribs and chest, normal also. Any suggestions for me?

It does sound like TMJ but I just wonder if your thyroid might be playing up too. Sadly many of these problems are not mutually exclusive and can occur in tandem. Have you had a scan to look at thyroid? The thyroid can misbehave in so many ways at this time of life. Hashimotos Thyroiditis does not normally involve neck pain but there are many other thyroid conditions that do. In general doctors can be very dim when it comes to thyroid problems.
A problem with the thyroid can occur after a simple viral illness and can occur quite out of the blue.

Just a thought.....


XIII

I have tmj and it causes gret pain at times. my neck down to my fingers hurt. My jaw, ears, (big time) and side of my face. I cannot even lay on that side at times. Yes, my throat bugs me too. I had a TMJ doctor do all sorts of tests and he said I have a neck problem as well which makes me feel as though I have something stuck in my throat, it's real, not imagined. I also have a nodule on the thyroid, had an ultrasound and bloodwork and it's all fine.

Now getting to treatment. I use warm compresses on my face and eat softer foods, it is annoying, no bagels, subs, etc. I just can't do it. It is so uncomfortable to even try I pay for it later. I did try ibuprofen, but it doesn't do much, so I avoid it. There is a muscle relaxer called flexeril that I hear is good, never tried it. The best thing I found is acupuncture. I dont' have a good insurance plan, so it's $50 a visit for me, but if you have a good one look into it. It gave me relief after the first two visits.

I hope this helped a bit.

You need to find somebody who SPECIALIZES in tmj treatment. Please do not continue to suffer in silence! The people can make this pain go away!!!! Yes, your neck pain CAN be a symptoms of tmj. Until then, go to a soft food diet so you stop overstressing those joints and use warm compresses as often as you can (mine was a bean bag in the microwave). Be careful about how you are opening your mouth while you brush also as it can overstress those joints. I chose during the bad times to stop talking. Less stress means less pain.

I agree. When using the phone, put it on speaker, it helps not to have pressure on the ear. Also, the dentist told me that when yawing, put your tongue on the roof of your mouth so your mouth doesn't open as wide. Feels weird at first, but works. I hope some of this helps.