Can cervical disc herniations cause pain in the outer part of the ear?

January 29th, 2009


Oh yes. I had one of these about 5 years ago. I had pains in my chest, my temples and my side. I even had an ultrasound to check for gallstones and turns out it was reflective pain from my neck. I still have shooting pains in my ears, head and arms. Check with your doctor to rule out anything else, but I'd bet on the herniation causing your pain.

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4 Responses to “Can cervical disc herniations cause pain in the outer part of the ear?”

  1. Comment by SolMan
    January 29th, 2009

    yes, since the nerves that innervate the skin of the face comes off the spinal cord in the cervical region.
    References :

  2. Comment by Johnny Blaze
    January 29th, 2009

    That'd be awfully high for that case. It's part of a different nerve system, the cranial nerve serves the ear and the cervix is connected on other lines. So, 99% no.
    References :
    Dr. Mark Rowland

  3. Comment by Uncle Heinrich the Great
    January 29th, 2009

    Oh yes. I had one of these about 5 years ago. I had pains in my chest, my temples and my side. I even had an ultrasound to check for gallstones and turns out it was reflective pain from my neck. I still have shooting pains in my ears, head and arms. Check with your doctor to rule out anything else, but I'd bet on the herniation causing your pain.
    References :
    I'm an RN and personal experience.

  4. Comment by M B
    January 29th, 2009

    No. Sensation in the face and head comes from the cranial nerves. Sensation from the external part of the ear specifically is carried by the auricuoltemporal branch of the trigeminal nerve and from the auricular branch of the vagus nerve. These nerves come directly from the brain. They are not from the spinal cord and they don't pass through the neck. So they can not be affected by a disc herniation.
    References :
    I thought everybody knew that.