Exercise Induced Headache

[quote]PublickStews wrote:
hueyOT wrote:
FireFighter1046 wrote:
See a doctor, Im assuming it has a great deal to do with bloodflow in your melon. Your best advice would be from a doctor.
However I tried Gakic 2 times and got lightening bolt pains above my eyes to the point I couldnt train. Im not sure why it effected me like that because my brother drinks it everytime and has no problems.
You didnt mention you were taking anything though
Good luck,
FF

it’s not a blood flow issue.

I cringe every time I see your avatar. You are the most annoying, know-it-all turd I’ve ever seen on this board.

Anyway I had this problem this past summer from a set of high rep (30) front squats. Doctors were afraid it was an aneurism or a tumor (LOL). Had the MRI and everything was fine, all neurological exams were fine. Neurologist diagnosed it as a migraine, said to lay off for a week or two and hopefully it wouldn’t come back. So far so good.
[/quote]

last thing you want is this guy <experiencing severe headaches when undergoing strain isn’t a minor problem> listening to fools on this board who are trying to suggest it’s a potassium deficiency a breathing problem <that wouldn’t cause a headache, but maybe light-headedness/disorientation> or a blood flow issue .

[quote]Magarhe wrote:
SEE A DOCTOR. Ignore the idiot general practitioner and GET referred to a neurologist.

There are many things that can cause what you are experiencing and you want to rule out anything serious that could be life threatening.

Huey you don’t know crap, stop saying “it’s not this” and “it’s not that”, you have not got a CLUE if it is or isn’t neither for your friend nor the poster who started this thread. I am not trying to insult you and I realise you are just trying to eliminate things and narrow it down, but unless you do some bloodwork and examine the guy specifically, you cannot rule these things out. Nor can you assume that because it was the problem for one person that it is for another person.

Any one of the things mentioned could cause these headaches, either directly or setting off a chain of events. For headaches, ANYTHING can set them off including looking at a picture of a pink teddy bear dancing the cha cha on a lollypop. Let alone pinching an unrelated nerve in an unrelated part of the body that sets off a chain of associated tension in the brain that activates other nerves in a cascading pain response.

KombatAthlete I think you should get a checkup but my gut feeling is that you have some kind of alignment problem that you are unaware of that a good chiro can probably fix. Especially if you have a history of combat / weights. But see a neuro first to be sure. Nobody should have to live with headaches. If you can find a cause and fix them that is good.
[/quote]

i’ve seen this problem before, and i can guarantee it has nothing to do with breathing, poor blood flow, or a potassium deficiency .

It may be symptomatic of high blood pressure. Get tested.

If it is, don’t fuck around. High BP can be very dangerous.

[quote]Phill wrote:
KombatAthlete wrote:
After I exert myself, sexually or lifting, I get severe headaches. I looked this up online and I know it’s somewhat common. Mine are profoundly painful, to the point of being nautious. How has everyone else coped with it?

BREATH!!! that would be my guess. After say a VERY heavy squat or pull I will sometimes get a splitting headache due to just the HIGH pressure you exert everywhere in the body, Holding breath and tensing every damn muscle you have also SKYROCKETING your BP for an instant. Causing the headache.
[/quote]

Oxygen depravation from exercise can cause other-wordly migraines.

As a 400 runner I would get them on occasion at the end of training sessions. I’ve also seen PLs get them as well as soccer players. Improper breathing and hyperventilation can lead to oxygen-dep and some wicked headaches.

i know there is a list of foods that are associated with migranes, my step mom used to get them to the point she would be in tears. they had her using some over the door head traction device thingie. i don’t know what it’s called, but it attaches to your head, then attaches to the top of any door. there are weights and pulleys, and i guess it pulls your head up from your body or something.

this was so long ago that i can hardly remeber how it looked. she also kept this three page list of foods that could trigger migrane headaches in certain people.i got a real bad headache last week in the gym, i am pretty sure it was because of the caffeine pill i took.it was the first time i tried a caffeine pill, it made me stop becasue it hurt soo bad. after a few hours, and a couple of large chronic bowls it went away.

I fixed it with some wierd hypertonic nasal spray that is basically salt water that he gave me to treat sinus pressure. The doctor said it is being used to treat a variety of conditions, even more serious things like cystic fibrosis. I also spent a while with hot showers on my neck, neck massage, and hot towels on my neck. I’m thinking something could have been swollen in my neck and the hypertonic solution altered the concentration gradient so water left, and the massage treatments helped as well.

[quote]PublickStews wrote:
hueyOT wrote:
FireFighter1046 wrote:
See a doctor, Im assuming it has a great deal to do with bloodflow in your melon. Your best advice would be from a doctor.
However I tried Gakic 2 times and got lightening bolt pains above my eyes to the point I couldnt train. Im not sure why it effected me like that because my brother drinks it everytime and has no problems.
You didnt mention you were taking anything though
Good luck,
FF

it’s not a blood flow issue.

I cringe every time I see your avatar. You are the most annoying, know-it-all turd I’ve ever seen on this board.

Anyway I had this problem this past summer from a set of high rep (30) front squats. Doctors were afraid it was an aneurism or a tumor (LOL). Had the MRI and everything was fine, all neurological exams were fine. Neurologist diagnosed it as a migraine, said to lay off for a week or two and hopefully it wouldn’t come back. So far so good.
[/quote]

Wow, honestly that hurt my feelings alot, I Didnt realize I came across as a know it all Turd and I am sorry you feel that way. I have posted in boards for years and it seems most people like me or at least have the tolerance to put up with me without saying mean things about me. I reread my responses and I thought this was a forum were you can share your ideas when someone asks. I am very lucky that I am surrounded by well trained inteligent people in my RL and I am always watching and listening to what they say so I myself can become more educated. Helping people and lifelong learning is very important to me and my passion.
I am sorry I make you cringe and I will move along to another board and try to be more conscious about my responses not to offend anyone.
FF

well your problem might not have been the same as mine, i know the root cause of mine was bad breathing and being under stress triggerd it like a charm

[quote]hueyOT wrote:
i’ve seen this problem before, and i can guarantee it has nothing to do with breathing, poor blood flow, or a potassium deficiency .

[/quote]

Sorry huey … now I realise where you are coming from, after that post, I assume you are saying that this could be serious so the guy should get it checked out rather than just think it is some trivial problem like poor breathing etc…

I had a different impression from reading your posts though, the first time.

I hope everyone here realises these points, especially true in neuro:

  • just because someone else had similar symptoms does not mean what caused them for them, and what cured them, applies to you or anyone else

  • these things can be critical and should be checked out

  • these things are very often not critical and can easily be fixed

  • anything can cause them, anything at all. Food. Thinking. Post traumatic stress. Coffee. A flashing light. f@#$ing anything.

I have a client who experiences similar symptoms. It only comes when we do high reps. For example, I thought I was going to have to call an ambulance after doing a 20rep set on the leg press with him. He felt a pop in his neck on the 20th rep and I have never been so scared in my life.

He has chronic neck and back pain and has had this most of his life.

We’ve found that low reps don’t elicit the headache so we don’t go over 8 reps. It’s not ideal as the weights we have to use are huge, but it seems to be the only way for him to train without extensive pain.

I have had similiar probs with headaches for nearly 15 years of lifting. Fortunately, they are sporadic, but had one today at the gym.

In high school, my doctor said it was blood pressure related – rapid changes due to extreme stress on the body.

I have found than an aspirin an hour before the workout fixes damn near anything, except for my hip flexor pain during deadlifts and squats, but that’s another topic.