Headaches during and after workouts

That’s strange. Lisa Nelson70, if I were in your shoes, I’d probably try to get those head scans done as soon as possible.

Bradley Morgan3 said:That’s strange. Lisa Nelson70, if I were in your shoes, I’d probably be looking into getting some head scans done as soon as possible.

Oh, really? You think it's up to me? I mean, if you actually take a moment to read my previous post again, you'll see where I'm coming from.

Lisa Nelson70 said:So, EEG, neck MRI... they don't think I need any more head scans. My GP sent me for the EEG, and the neurologist ordered the neck MRI. Based on everything I told her, she ruled out anything other than my neck being the cause of the headaches. I'm not happy about it, but I can't really do much on my own until I get my finances back on track or find a new primary doctor. Then again, who knows who I'd end up with? Maybe they'd also think everything's been covered.
I forgot to mention I'm entitled to physical therapy twice a year, but my GP won't refer me anymore. I only went once last year; she claims it's unnecessary and tells me to just do exercises at home, even though my physiatrist specifically noted "periodic physical therapy." She argues there's no specified timeframe in the notes, but my neurologist said clearly that the doctor knows full well that means twice a year. But honestly, I'm stuck. Hoping my financial situation improves soon (not working yet) so I can see someone privately, until I find a different GP who might be "better"... if such a person exists.

As you can see, not exactly... I was actually at neurology for something else entirely—a pinched nerve unrelated to my neck—but the neurologist wrote down the neck MRI on the report anyway because I mentioned the headaches. When I got the results back, she just said, "Oh, there are some changes, nothing serious, just take care," blah, blah... and then mentioned the twice-yearly physical therapy.

None of this is surprising. In fact, it's a textbook example of how diagnostics work in the American healthcare system and the typical treatment you get from an American GP. Try saving up enough money to see a private neurologist, pick the best one, insist on a brain MRI, and pray that whoever you see isn't part of the crowd that diagnoses and prescribes after about 30 seconds of intellectual effort. Let's be real, most private practitioners are the same way. It's all the same circle. I've been through over a hundred doctors' offices in the last three years, and in that sample, over ninety percent were like this. The situation is CATASTROPHIC, primarily due to a total lack of—I wouldn't even call it expertise—but basic professional literacy and fundamental ethics.

Until you know exactly what's going on, stay away from those random, "guesswork" physical therapies. They treated me similarly, and it ruined my health.

Until your GP, mine, and hundreds of others start getting fired and permanently banned from practicing medicine due to negligence and incompetence, nothing will change. And it's high time it started happening.

But that’s exactly my point—what am I supposed to do? When you're strapped for cash like this, it feels pointless to even think about switching doctors; how would I even know if a new one would be any better? I’ve been seeing this current doctor for ten years now, and honestly, the one before her was infinitely worse. Sure, some of my diagnoses are relatively recent, but all my old records are sitting right there with this physician. To make matters more complicated, my father is quite ill, and this doctor won't even provide the medications that a specialist specifically prescribed for him.

I was actually thinking about a situation with a relative recently, where they basically sent a woman home after a neurological issue, telling her not to "act out" or anything... and I mean, what is a person even supposed to do in that situation?

But you know, looking back, maybe the fact that she isn't referring me to physical therapy is actually a blessing in disguise—it was always such a disaster with them anyway! At this point, I really need a new physiatrist and a neurologist, but then there's the question of how much of a hassle it would be to get transferred to someone new... and goodness knows if they’d even bother giving me a referral for a different provider. It seems like everyone just hands out diagnoses based on nothing—just like people on these forums saying, "Oh, you're dizzy," or "Oh, your head hurts..." and then suddenly, "Aha, it's just cervicobrachial issues." Before, I felt like I was constantly being bounced around. This last neurologist—well, I've seen two, though that was mostly by chance, a longer story entirely—was the first one to actually admit that the tests performed previously weren't sufficient for a real diagnosis; she said they were just scribbling things down without proper investigation. But even then, she wasn't much help because she wouldn't order an MRI for my head, only my Neck Muscles... so my primary care doctor had to send me off for that, and I practically had to beg her just to give me a referral so I could take the results to a neurologist instead of having her try to interpret everything herself... and then the neurologist just tells me, as I mentioned: "Just take care of yourself."

What does that even mean?! 🙂

Lisa Nelson70 said:That’s exactly my point—what am I supposed to do? Until I have the money, there’s no sense in switching doctors... who knows if the next one will be any better? I've had this one for ten years, and the one before her was way worse. Okay, my diagnoses are recent, but all my old records are still with him. My dad is quite sick, too, and this doctor won't even give him the meds the specialist actually prescribed.

Then there was this thing with a relative recently... they sent a woman home after a brain issue, basically telling her to stop acting out... I mean, what can you even do at that point?

I know plenty of similar stories myself. I'm right there with you.

The Patient Rights Association should start a campaign to collect these negative patient experiences. They need to go public with them and keep making a massive scene in the media until things actually change. This is one of the most critical issues in our society, if not the biggest.

In a functional society, a doctor who is negligent, ignorant, or lazy should be publicly shamed, no exceptions.

Just a quick heads-up: we have a dedicated thread for Insights on the American healthcare system. Please keep this space focused on exercise-related headaches. 😉

Hey everyone

Alright, look, I’ve got a massive problem on my hands and I’m honestly reaching out here because I’m kind of desperate... Basically, I’m dealing with this incredibly intense headache right at the base of my skull whenever I push myself physically. It all kicked off about a year ago during a strength training session—I was finishing up with some max-effort dips, and right at that peak moment of strain, my head just absolutely exploded in the back, right where the spine meets the skull. The pain lasted maybe 10-15 minutes, slowly tapering off, followed by a dull ache for about 30 to 60 minutes before finally vanishing. I asked around about it, and everyone just brushed me off, telling me it was nothing stupid and would pass... So, the next morning, I tried doing some max push-ups just to see if it would happen again. As soon as I hit my limit, I started feeling fatigued and that pain flared up again, though it didn't last nearly as long. I decided to play it safe and take a 6-7 day break, which I did. Everything seemed fine after that. After a few weeks (maybe 2 or 3), I jumped back into my heavy training, and everything was smooth sailing until about a week ago. I was hitting those dips at the end of a workout again, and when I pushed hard, the pain came back—but this time, it was way worse. To give you an idea: it’s this brutal, throbbing sensation at the very base of my head, pulsing right in sync with my heartbeat... honestly, it hurts so bad I have to sit down for 5-10 minutes just to stop the world from spinning. This time, the pain hung around until I finally crashed for sleep (about 4-5 hours after the workout), and luckily, it was gone by morning. I thought I could shake it off like last time and went back to the gym the second day, thinking if I just kept things light, I'd be fine. But that's not how I work—I can't do "light." I always go for the max, and I ended up overdoing it mid-workout, which triggered the pain again. Only this time, it lasted the entire day and bled into the next morning. I figured, okay, no more messing around, and took a week off—just like I did six months ago. During that week, I didn't lift anything heavier than a bag of chips. But once I got back to the gym, the second I started doing pull-ups at the very beginning of the session, the headache slammed into me again. And this time? It lasted the whole day and half of the next one. I went to the doctor and had a CT scan done, but they couldn't find a single thing wrong. Now, no matter what kind of excitement or intensity I deal with—even just playing a video game and getting caught in a high-stakes moment—my head starts killing me. I am begging you guys, please help me figure out what the hell is going on, because nobody seems to have any clue. Thanks in advance... and just a heads-up, fitness is my entire life. I can't even imagine a day without training, and right now, I feel like the biggest idiot on the planet because I've been sidelined for days now.

I mean, wouldn't it make more sense to just go back to your doctor first and see if they'll actually order an MRI?

Recent studies are pointing toward the occipital and Neck Muscles as the real culprits behind that nagging pain you feel when moving your eyes and head. From birth through adolescence, we all instinctively turn our heads to follow whatever we’re looking at. But as we get older, that habit starts to fade. Even though the head stays still, the brain is still firing those signals to the muscles, which creates this constant tension—and that's where the pain kicks in.

Stress and mental pressure just make everything worse. And let's not forget physical strain—carrying heavy loads on your back can trigger massive aches. It turns out the muscles between your vertebrae are particularly sensitive to psychological stress.

Experts are also suggesting that sitting for long stretches is a major factor, causing pain not just in the lower back, but right up in the Neck Muscles area too.

You really shouldn't ignore these pains—especially if they start "radiating" down your arms or if you feel any tingling sensations. In those cases, you definitely need to go see an orthopedic specialist.

-Taken from WebMD -

Theoretically speaking, suppressing natural muscle movement is what leads to pain. And it isn't just limited to the neck or the base of the skull—it could be your arms, legs, or anywhere else. Overexertion, or even having too much self-control, builds up physical tension in the body, the skull, and so on.
I'm no expert, but maybe this helps.

cosmicdriver27, I'm no expert either, but this looks like it hits on what you're dealing with:

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...6591061&page=1

Hey there,

I’ve been training for what feels like forever without a single issue, but about four months ago, I started dealing with this constant cervicogenic headache that seems to
linger for days after a session. It hits hardest when I'm doing skull crushers, and lately, even standard diamond
push-ups seem to trigger it.

Right now, my neck is totally locked up, and I can feel the pain radiating into my head and behind my eyes; honestly, this cervicogenic headache feels just like a migraine and is absolutely brutal. Since the spring, I’d estimate I've dealt with it
at least 200 times. 😲

The thing is, I haven't changed my routine at all—I've been doing the same moves my whole life without any trouble. But yesterday, around 4 PM, I knocked out some pull-ups, dips, and some diamond push-ups,
and by evening, my neck seized up and the headache kicked in automatically, staying relentless through the night and into today; I actually had to turn off a movie because the pain was just too much to handle. ^^

It also happens when I'm working—like recently when I was cleaning, keeping my head down for a while, and my neck just tightened up and sent the pain straight to my head. -.-'

My usual setup is three times a week using rings, weights, a pull-up bar, and parallel bars, and for years, everything was smooth sailing. I've been training peacefully for ages,
but now I'm stuck... because what’s the point of having great muscles or looking fit if I have to endure this kind of agony?

If I just stop training for two or three weeks, the headaches vanish completely, which proves it's the activity causing it... but then I start craving
my workouts again, and as soon as I get back to it, the cycle repeats. 😢

I don't think my form is bad—I've been in this game a long time and have trained in serious gyms—the only thing I'll admit is that my sleeping posture is probably pretty terrible. 😉

I've tried massages and light stretching, which does provide some temporary relief, but the second I do any ring work where my head is below my torso, it's game over!! pure
hellish headaches return.

I tried sticking to upright exercises for a week—just pull-ups and weighted movements where I stay standing—and I didn't get a headache, but skull crusher exercises are definitely
my worst enemy; they lock up my Neck Muscles and trigger this intense pressure around my forehead and eyes, though it usually hits the next day rather than immediately.

My posture might be a bit off, even though I wouldn't say I'm hunched over; it's likely because I spend way too much time sitting at my computer.

It really baffles me how these exact same moves didn't bother me for over 13 years, yet suddenly they're an issue, especially since I've always prioritized proper technique.

Sometimes I'll just do straight arm work on the rings or the parallel bars and barely feel anything, though that probably depends on
how I slept that night, since I tend to twist around in my sleep.

Now I'm forced to take another two or three weeks off, which I hate, mostly because I can already feel my biceps and triceps starting to shrink. ☕

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/...neck-pain