Horrible Headaches

When you're stressed all your neck and shoulder muscles bunch up, causing horrible headaches. At least for me. I'm sure Fox can explain the physiology being that he's a PT. I'm no doctor, obviously, but I bet that's exactly where your headaches are coming from. It's also possible that stress raised your BP which could be causing headaches. If really concerned talk to your physician. I hope they ease for you.

icemantoo said:

My gut feeling

Ande,

 

My gut feeling is that it is probably anxiety. However my gut feeling is not an excuse for you to discus this both with your GP and your surgeon.

 

Please do so. Good luck that it is nothing.

 

Icemantoo

Funny how that happens. 

I felt like a million bucks prior to being told I potentially had cancer.  Five minutes later I felt like my body was falling apart. 

Much of what you feel is in your head, and/or stress related. 

With that being said, anytime you are worried or unsure, ask your doctor.  Better safe than sorry. 

9 months out from my surgery, I still get myself worked up every once in a while. 

I have said it before... anxiety can be bad for you.  If you are really struggling with it, see a doctor and get help. 

foxhd said:

since you asked..

anxiety or tension headaches can have a predictable pattern. One doesn't get these headaches when relaxed or calm. But create a scenario with anxiety and tension and the result is different. Muscles only contract and relax. Each muscle or grouping of muscles has an antagonistic group of muscles that do the opposite. If we turn on our biceps, we turn off our triceps and  our arm bends.  Turn on our triceps and our arm straightens and our biceps gets turned off. If opposing groups are both turned on, our arm gets stiff and rigid. If both groups are turned off, then our arm tone is flaccid. That is all there is to it in gross motor function. Now if we look at our head and neck we include the effects of posture. We don't conciously squeeze our neck muscles to hold our head up. It is automatic. That tone that is activated creates constant tension in those muscles. As a result the tightness becomes irritating to itself. The tight muscles pulls on where they are attached. This strain can release lactic acid which in itself is also irritaing. This encourages a withdrawl response. The muscles try to pull away to protect themselves. This pattern that is created only encourages muscle shortening which causes this pain loop.To eliminate this cause of pain, we need to break the cycle.

In a nutshell, or for me a nutcase, this is what happens. The muscles shorten. They irritate themselves. This leads to discomfort and more shortening with nothing to interupt this painful reflex loop. One way or another, (drugs or exercise, stretching, massage) we need to drop this muscle tone. Dropped tone reduces tension at the attachments of the muscles. No tension or increased tone, or hypertonicity is present. Therefore, voila! no tension headache.

In therapy practice, it is fun to have a patient come in with chronic headaches as a result of this type of problem. A little deep massage, stretching, and reduction in muscle tone, and the headaches are gone. Peoples expressions from the relief is entertaining and satisfying. It is fun to identify some of these people and then create a little story about using magic or pig spit or some other non sense which no reasonable person would ever believe. Weave it into the treatment, and then watch their faces with bewilderment when we break the neurological single arc reflex and the pain. The muscle tone is palpable so we know when the goal is accomplished. In as little as 10-15 minutes, we can often make long term headaches just disappear. This has led to many a proposal from female patients wondering about my "magic" hands. More often than not, they weren't subtle in their inquiries.

 

Fox,

Is that how you got your name from those not so subtle "magic" hands that you used in therapy?

Icemantoo