Hello, Thanks for choosing health care magic for posting your query. I have gone through your question in detail and I can understand what you are going through. From your history there could be a couple of differential diagnosis which one can consider. 1) Inflamation/Infection: Even in absence on lymph nodes/lumps, there could be an infection or cellulitis which could be leading to this kind of symptoms. 2) Ortopedic cause: Many times cervical spine spondolysis may also lead to this kind symptoms. It would be best to get it examined by a doctor who can assess your local aea of tenderness if there is any redness or swelling. You should also get an MRI spine done in cervical area to make sure that it is not orthopedic cause of pain Hope I am able to answer your concerns. If you have any further query, I would be glad to help you. In future if you wish to contact me directly, you can use the below mentioned link: bit.ly/dr-srikanth-reddy Wish you good health, Kind regards Dr. Srikanth Reddy M.D.