Since moving to this area I seem to get a lot of headaches and most of them are tension headaches. Sometimes the tension headache "travels" into my shoulder and makes it feel really uncomfortable. About 2 months ago, it bothered my shoulder so much I had to hold my arm a certain way. It finally just went away after a week. This week I have had a little tension headache for a couple days and today I can feel it in my shoulder again...although not nearly as bad, just a little uncomfortable. I'm wondering if this happens to any of you and what you have done to make it feel better or go away. I do take Ibuprofen if the headache gets really bad, but it doesn't help with the tightening in my shoulder.
Thanks for all the great replies! I'm glad to know I'm not the only one this happens to. I will probably try some of the different suggestions to see which ones work best....of course, the massage is the most appealing :-)
I get those headaches too. Generally mine are allergy, sometimes stress, and occassionally hormonal, but they all travel down my neck and back. I can't afford to get a massage all the time (although I would love to) but Excedrin does the trick every time. When I feel it coming on, I eat something (or drink milk, but don't take it on am empty stomach) and take two. It's the ONLY thing that works and it works great. Good luck and feel better.
I get those too as well as Migraines. I have Excedrin Tension Headache and Excedrin Migrane at all times in the house car and work. NO other over the counter pill I have tried works. I also have a prescription pill for each if it get REALLY REALLY bad, which it can. I had a tension headache so bad once I fainted from the pain. (yes it was a pain in the head neck and sholders, Its bad) Hope this helped.
At age 11 I was diagnosed with "migraines." My dad would not accept that and took me to a chiropractor. I had a pinched nerve in my neck. After several treatments the headaches went away----never to return. Check out a good chiropractor.
The reason its going down into your shoulder now is because the cause of the issue is stemming from the nerves in your neck which supply not only the muscles into your head, but also down into your shoulders and back. I agree with another post that it can be rather unsettling, although not dangerous, to have your neck "popped" by a chiropractor, but there are more than 250 different techniques to adjust a patient. Finding the technique that is right for you can take some time, just like finding the right MD, you may have to shop around.
The technique that I specialize in is not only specific, but extremely gentle; it's called Grostic. It's an upper cervical specific technique that is uniquely designed for you based on very detailed x-rays. I personally would never see a chiropractor that does not take films, as it's like having surgery without knowing what's going on inside. Films not only rule out other conditions that may be contraindicated to getting an adjustment, but also determines how to properly adjust the patient for them to receive the most benefit.
I'm in Plano, so it would be a haul for you. But, there is another upper cervical doc right in Denton. I would recommend DeHart Chiropractic Clinic on Elm Street,###-###-#### . Also, go to www.upcspine.com, which is a patient-run website to get further information on the technique.
It would be worth it to just get it checked out and see if it would be an alternative to a lifetime of medication--which would be the only route in the medical world. God Bless.
I'd suggest you try some physical therapy. (I'm a PT, so I may be biased.) It sounds like you have some tension in your muscles that could be causing it. Maybe lifting boxes aggravated something. Good luck!
Acupuncture.
It does not hurt and is actually very relaxing.
Also, if you tend to clench your jaw when tense, this can make things worse and radiate to your neck/shoulders.
Or your posture...
Make sure you are not tensing certain parts of your body when standing/sitting when tense.... it will exacerbate it.
good luck,
Susan
Please go to the Dr and get this checked out. I don't want to scare you or be an alarmist, but a dear friend of mine had similar headaches and almost died from a brain aneurism. The Dr. kept telling him it was a tension headache when it was actually a slow "leak" until it burst.
Just make sure that tension is all that it is. Also, it sounds as though it's being caused by some repetitive motion. Do you do work that causes you to use the same side of your body over and over.... grocery clerk, computer work etc...? Massage and acupuncture may well relive it, but I'd check into other things you might be doing throughout the day that are causing it.
Best of luck!
I get this too, and have it right now. I would recommend the massage. I love getting them and they feel oh so good, but the effects don't last as long as acupuncture and my acupuncture is covered by insurance.
Two Words - Massage Therapy. You'd be amazed to know how muscles in your neck and back caneffect the other parts of your body. See a therapist, and you won't be sorry!
Please go for a deep tissue massage first as someone else mentioned. I had the same issue years ago and tried the acupuncture and chiropractor. Neither worked well even after four sessions and the chiropractor scared the you-know-what out of me when he tried to "pop" my neck. After that experience I went to a massage therapist and it was amazing. So much so that I studied and received my own license. Remember, like with many professionals you need to find one that is good. There are many massage therapist that just follow a "routine" and don't focus on your individual needs. Do some checking and see if you can find some one who can recommend a massage therapist. If you can find one that had experience in different styles of massage you probably will be much better off. Good luck!
Try acupuncture or go to a chiropractor.
I've done EVERYTHING. Chiro, massage, acupuncture, strong meds but once I got my jaw looked at and found out that I had HORRIBLE TMJ things feel into place. I'm almost a year into treatment and have gotten so much better. You may want to look into that.
...and a podiatrist. That helped a lot too!
Yep, happens to me, too. The muscles in your neck also travel down into your shoulders. Do you sit still for long periods of time in front of a computer? That's why I get them. I used to have the luxury of regular massages and that helped tremendously. If you can, I highly recommend a deep tissue massage. Otherwise, there are exercises you can do to stretch out the muscles. Just google it.
I agree with Julie. You really should go to your doctor and have them run some tests. The heaches can be cause by lots of different reasons. One could be allergies. We all can give you our opinion but really you should be seen by your doctor to make the correct diagnosis. Good luck.
I have migraines but suffer from other headaches as well. What you are describing sounds like muscle spasms. Try rubbing some muscle rub like biofreeze or deepheat on your neck at the first sign of pain.
If you can't get away from what is causing the tension, I find massage is the best tension relief. I go to the chiropractor once a month and he has a massage therapist that gets the tension out of my shoulders! If you have a pool, I find that is also relaxing when there aren't any kiddos around.
