Numbness in the face
April 14, 2010 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Olaf Stephan
Hello,
I (female, 29) have had a strange feeling in the left side of my face for 3 days. Since last Thursday, I have had quite severe neck pain, which is also being treated by a physiotherapist. Now I also have pain in the jaw joint, and when I stroke my fingers over the left side of my face, it feels hot and tingly. It's somehow uncomfortable. Is this numbness? Is it dangerous? Could it be something worse?
At night, I don't know how to lie down because eventually a sharp pain occurs in my neck. Then I turn around and it's fine again.
I'm afraid it could be a stroke or something similar.... I also had hiccups yesterday.
However, I have had neck tension for a very long time... several years.
Thank you in advance.
D.B.
Dear inquirer,
Unfortunately, it is not possible to make an accurate diagnosis without a detailed clinical examination and, if necessary, some additional tests or investigations. Therefore, I cannot spare you the way to a specialist under any circumstances. The symptoms you described primarily suggest the presence of an inflammation in the area of the ear (e.g. otitis media), the sinuses (sinusitis), or the teeth, which could also explain the pain in the jaw joint. An association of such symptoms with a pain syndrome of the cervical spine or a shoulder-neck syndrome is rather rare. Sometimes, sensory disturbances of one side of the face can also occur as part of migraine attacks. Since you do not report any pain in the facial half, a trigeminal neuralgia (painful inflammation of the facial nerve) can be ruled out differentially. Therefore, I recommend consulting an ENT specialist and possibly a dentist first, as most likely the causes of your complaints lie within one of these specialties. If, contrary to expectations, nothing is found, the next step would be to see a neurologist. Your symptoms do not indicate a stroke, hiccups are usually harmless and occur more often in completely healthy individuals. You do not need to worry about this. I wish you a speedy recovery.
Best regards, O. Stephan.
