so sorry to hear you're going through this. it's difficult to cope with severe pain. unless you're experiencing crushing pain in your chest and shortness of breath along with this pain in your neck please do not clog up the emergency room. the emergency department should be reserved for true life-or-death emergencies or serious traumas like broken bones. unfortunately severe neck pain doesn't rise to that level. what you're describing sounds like the classic symptom of a pinched nerve. there are many possible causes for neck pain ranging from a herniated spinal disc to a muscle spasm. it sounds like you've done everything right in terms of home treatment. however one round of ibuprofen one hot shower and one good massage may not be enough to alleviate the pain especially if it's caused by something like a herniated disk. (also note: no one should take more than 2400 milligrams of ibuprofen within a 24-hour period and no more than 800mg every 8 hours. ) again assuming you're not exhibiting any symptoms of a heart attack (which generally don't include "stabbing pain at the base of the neck") your best bet is to continue to try home remedies. if the situation doesn't clear up within a few days make an appointment with your primary health care provider for an evaluation. if the situation gets worse (such as your arm starts to go numb) then you might consider heading for an urgent care facility. wishing you well! hi i have this too and my doctor said it was due to a thinning disk in your neck vertebre and it was pinching a nerve. she said nothing can be done cause it was from me having ra and just old age. im 54. i hope you get help with this i know its painful and i cant even sleep. sometimes the pain meds dont work. tamara
i am having severe stabbing pain at the base of my neck on the left side also with pain in my shoulder. due to the severity of the pain (scale of 1-10 i'd call it an 8 or 9) i am seriously thinking of going to the er. this started last night so i slept on my back took an ibuprofen 800 and took a super hot shower with my wifes super massage head to no avail. the pain has only gotten worse! please help