Two classical syndromes of upper cervical pain in the carotid region are discussed: carotidynia and Eagle syndrome. In both cases, after an initial period of enthusiasm, poorly defined diagnostic criteria led to frequent wrong diagnosis and poor treatment responses. This led to doubts about the existence of these syndromes. New radiologic diagnostic criteria have emerged and should allow for a more precise diagnosis. With the correct diagnosis, medical and surgical treatments should be better tailored and more efficient.