The neck-tongue syndrome: occurrence with cervical arthritis as well as normals

The syndrome of unilateral occipital pain with simultaneous ipsilateral tongue dysesthesia on sharp turning of the neck, recently reported in 4 otherwise normal young adults, is now described in 3 additional instances; one without disease and one each having degenerative spondylosis and ankylosing spondylitis. The originally proposed anatomical explanation for the syndrome, interconnections between the lingual and hypoglossal nerves and the C2, C3 nerve roots, is consistent with this syndrome complex arising from arthritis affecting the C1-C2-C3 articulation.