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What Causes Headache Along With Muscle Pain?
Question: Hello, I have pain in my upper left side. It stretches from my rib cage on my left side up in around the top of my pectoral muscle. The muscles on my left side and my arm are extremely tight compared to the right side. The rib cage area and pectoral muscles are sore to the touch. I had an upper GI endoscopy about a year ago and nothing showed up on that. This is fairly persistent like 3 or 4 days out of the week. I also had numbness in my left pinky finger when I was sleeping last night. This is usually worse at night when I'm trying to sleep then during the day. A year ago I also had an echo/stress test/chest x ray and nothing showed up negative from a heart condition there as well. I have also had a consistent headache now for a couple months.
Brief Answer:
Spine disc herniation.
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Thank you for the query.
Your symptoms are most likely caused by some nerve problem.
As you have headache, along with muscle pain and pain radiating to the hand, spinal disc herniation in the cervical area is the most probable reason. This issue can be caused by a type of work you perform (like long standing in one position, lifting heavy objects).
Cubital tunnel syndrome (or ulnar nerve entrapment) can also give such symptoms. With this condition you should also notice atrophy of the pinky finger muscles (muscles should be smaller than on the other hand).
I suggest you to consult neurologist and have spine MRI at first. If ulnar nerve entrapment seems more possible, EMG test should be done.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I already went to a neurologist and he didn't suggest anything along those lines. I did have a CT scan with contrast for my neck which didn't show anything wrong either. I did go see another neurlogist as well and he did say I had some issues with my ulnar nerve and said I also had flat feet. Why would this only come certain times and other times I feel perfectly fine? Would drinking alcohol have any effect on this because I feel like my issues always get worse after some sort of alcohol consumption?
Brief Answer:
.
Detailed Answer:
The main problem with spine issues is that when you do not use the affected part, it works without problems. But if you overstrain this area, inflammation appears. Due to inflammation, the tissues get swollen (fluid accumulates in them) what causes stronger compression and starts giving the pain. Same situation is with ulnar nerve and any other part.
Alcohol has rather nothing to do with it. The only way alcohol can aggravate the pain is that after alcohol intake your pain gets weaker so you feel like you can do more than without the alcohol (alcohol is a painkiller). This may lead to some particular muscles overload.
If neurologist is unable to help you, than please consult orthopedist and consider ulnar nerve problem.
Regards.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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