Hi, I am wondering if anyone here might have some clues or insights into what is going on. I had an appt scheduled earlier this week to see a spinal neurologist, but I had to cancel, because I broke my leg. Aargh.

In Feb, my ears started ringing the day after I shoveled 3 feet of snow from my driveway and they have not stopped ringing since. Very upsetting!!

I have had a problem with clenching my teeth for years. I just can't stop. I have a clench guard now and have seen a TMJ doctor, who said he did not think I have TMJ, but I just clench even harder with the guard now, I think.

I had some dental work in April (tooth extraction, cleaning). And, one day when driving home from the dentist, I had difficulty swallowing a cold beverage I was drinking. The swallowing issue gets triggered occasionally, and it scares me. It's as if I cannot collect all the muscles together or they are not relaxed enough to swallow.

In May, I woke up on the right hand side of my head with a shooting pain down the right side of my face -- Around my eye, temple, down my cheek and around my ear, into the roof of my mouth and into an upper molar. When I stretched my arms backwards, the pain would then shoot through my neck and into my chest.

In July, I woke up with severe vertigo when I slept on the right side of my head. I found that by sleeping on the left side for several days, that the pain and vertigo would go away. It's as if sleeping on that side of my head was the "trigger." And, as I rolled my head slowly over to the right, there was a point, just slightly right of center that as soon as I reached it, I would get that severe dizzy feeling.

I now sleep exclusively on my left side, and the few times I roll over, I have grave pain in my right ear and around in the temple, neck, etc. In just the past few days, I have noticed that using my arms to use my crutches and also just talking has begun to trigger a similar uncomfortable pain around my left ear. I am very concerned that the pain has now crossed over to the other side of my head.

I Know that was a lot of info. I'm sorry. Just wondering if my symptoms sound familiar to anyone. I've done some research, and the swallowing and chest pain keeps leading me to Hyoid Bone Syndrome.

I should mention that I am very healthy otherwise. Well, I do have some bone issues and have had some unusual calcification and bone spurs found in my feet. I had an MRI last year, after a very small head injury that came back perfectly fine.

Any insight/thoughts would be appreciated. I know these disorders can be baffling. I hope to be able to get to the spinal/neuro doctor as soon as I can drive with my leg

Thanks in advance. Blessings to all of you. I feel your pain.

Well I would think about seeking some expert chiropractic care and even upper cervical adjusting.. or Expert PT if nervous about chiros..

Thanks so much, Jo*mar. Yes, Chiros do make me nervous. I've had a doctor recommend Myofascia Massage.

Yes, just trying to figure out all the various symptoms and solve this mysterious puzzle.

Maybe it's a seriously unfortunate combination of events... plus aging...

I forgot to mention that I am in my late forties and, after shoveling the 3 feet of snow last February (not something I've ever done before!!), I also suffered with some VERY severe and painful light sensitivity at nighttime while driving, in dark restaurants, and painful strain while at the computer, but, gratefully, that has improved greatly with time. One more thing to be grateful for!

If you've ever had a accident,fall or hit to head or shoulders a good chiropractor can be very helpful.
I was nervous at first but read up on it quite a bit , the pros and cons.
Then happened to come across a very good chiro at the county fair of all places..and he could tell by looking at me that I was in pain at the time. I was having severe neck spasms but had promised daughter I'd take her & friend to the fair..

He talked to me and asked if he could check my neck- no adjusting just to check muscle tension.. and said he could help me if I wanted to come in and gave me his card..
He was very helpful for me and there was no grab & twisting at all. gentle /careful/ precise.. he also did the upper cervical adjusting too that is even more gentle.

If you are interest search out local DC and check the websites they have, look for any ratings & Google the name etc..
and I f you go just task for evaluation first, to see if you feel comfortable or not..


Expert PT & the really good massages might help too. but if a misalignment DC is faster..

Once, when getting out of the dentist's chair, I could not swallow, and also found it scary in that moment. Swallowing seemed to take a strange effort afterwards. There were a number of reasons in my case. For example, if you move the tongue to one side of the mouth, the swallowing reflex does not kick in as easily.
You may find this interesting, I cannot post links yet, hence add the triple w and a dot:

alexanderfillbrandt.de/3179/zaehlt-nach-die-schluckmuskulatur

("Schluckmuskeln" are "muscles that contribute to swallowing". The short video says "Count them!" There are several dozen, and in addition, they come in pairs!).

I have done a lot of exercises, such as for the jaw and tongue, they can be found online. Doing Gibberish for a few minutes is a very good exercise, as it loosens the muscles of the jaw and mouth, as well as the emotions that keep them tight.

I have experimented with everything and at one point tried a night guard and did not like it. Later, I bought a mouth guard from a sporting goods store that is made of soft plastic. I cut it in pieces and experimented with it, e.g. put a piece on just the right molars for half an hour, then on the left. In this way, the masseter muscle's patterns of tensing up get disrupted. I could sense better what feels pleasant and what doesn't, and this helped me to refute a dentist who tried to tell me what I need is his expensive splint (the kind that costs thousands).

From what you describe, I suggest working on the facial muscles / temporal and also masseter muscle yourself (clean hands and short nails, and/or latex gloves when working in the mouth). Do it gently, explore rather than try to force anything.

There is no magic bullet when all the muscles and soft tissue of the chewing/speaking/swallowing mechanism plus the neck and shoulders have become tense. For example, everyone knows, when having a tooth ache, the head gets tilted to one side, and the shoulders get pulled up or pulled forward.
I have a background in alternative body work, and started with breath work and meditation decades ago, i.e. am rather conscious of the body. But only years after neuralgia pain (Type 2, i.e. constant) started, did I realize how tense the whole neck, shoulders and mouth had become (had chiropractic work, and a great myofascial therapist).

It is a journey.

You need to investigate the possibility that this pain could be coming from your neck--your cervical spine. I am in physio and having acupuncture and both are helping me.

Osteopaths also do cranial sacral tratments as well as some chiropractors.

Like you, I have facial pain that is linked up with pain in my neck, shoulder, arm and rib cage. Two months of treatment has allowed me to see how and when all this pain comes on and it seems to all be connected.