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Suggest Treatment For Stiffness Of Neck In Children

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Posted on Thu, 19 Feb 2015
Question: My 7 year old son is complaining of a stiff neck. It hurts him to move his head to the right and it hurts him to look up. The muscles on the right side of his neck are tight and there is also a lump in the right side of his neck however, his neck is not tender to pressure or touch. Today is day two of a stiff neck and pain meds do not seem to help. In fact, he was wimpering all night in his sleep last night and I gave him ibuprophen before bed. His doctor can't see him until Tuesday, do you think we are fine to wait that long?

I was worried last night and took him to an urgent care and they did xrays and the PA said that the xrays looked fine.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (12 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Can be an infection with swollen lymph node.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
The presence of lump in the neck is the likely cause of the stiffness of the neck. It can be an enlarged lymph node or a local infection. It is not recommended to wait till tuesday. Since your son is in constant pain it is best to attend an ER and get the lump examined. An FNAC of the lump will help in pin pointing the diagnosis.
He might need prescription systemic antibiotics to deal with this. You can do a hot compress in the area till then and see if the lump and stiffness softens.
I hope this answers your query.
In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.
For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Praveen-Tayal
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

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

Orthopaedic Surgeon

Practicing since :1994

Answered : 12314 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Stiffness Of Neck In Children

Brief Answer: Can be an infection with swollen lymph node. Detailed Answer: Hello, Thanks for posting your query. The presence of lump in the neck is the likely cause of the stiffness of the neck. It can be an enlarged lymph node or a local infection. It is not recommended to wait till tuesday. Since your son is in constant pain it is best to attend an ER and get the lump examined. An FNAC of the lump will help in pin pointing the diagnosis. He might need prescription systemic antibiotics to deal with this. You can do a hot compress in the area till then and see if the lump and stiffness softens. I hope this answers your query. In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out. Wishing you good health. Regards. Dr. Praveen Tayal. For future query, you can directly approach me through my profile URL http://bit.ly/Dr-Praveen-Tayal