Can Sore Neck Muscles Cause a Bad Headache?
Are you hoping that your unexplained headaches are caused by sore neck muscles rather than something more serious like a pinched nerve or brain tumor?
Headaches can be caused by a vast number of conditions including:
• Aneurysm
• Brain tumor: benign and malignant
• Migraine disorder
• Nasal polyp
• Pinched nerve in the neck
• Sinus infection: acute and chronic
• Tension from mental stress
But what about simply sore muscles in the neck?
A headache can be caused by sore neck muscles, says Dr. Moshe Lewis, MD, board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation.
The headache in this case is actually pain that’s radiating from a problem originating in the neck musculature. These muscles can become overworked from exercise.
Or, they can become strained by spending too much time in one position, such as a sleep position that has the head turned one way while the body is turned the other way, or some other sleep position that can strain the cervical area.
Jutting the head forward while spending large amounts of time at the computer can also aggravate these muscles, leading to a headache.
Dr. Lewis says, “Some of the muscles and nerves in the neck travel to the back of the head, i.e., the greater occipital nerve.
“When muscles go into spasm and nerves become impinged, people can develop cervicogenic headaches.”
Cervicogenic means originating from the cervical area (neck).
These headaches also don’t necessarily occur at the moment of insult.
For example, perhaps you worked out hard at the gym, but only several hours later do you begin getting a headache.
Reducing Headaches from Neck Muscle Strain
A way to reduce these is to make sure you’re well-hydrated. Sip water during your workouts and after, whether you are thirsty or not.
Another tactic is to use proper posture at the computer.
This means don’t jut your head forward; instead move the computer screen closer or get used to viewing the screen from a little further away by not craning forward.
You should also do neck exercises such as rotations in both directions; and massage this area as well.
A self-massage may very well be enough to relieve a headache caused by sore neck muscles.
Dr. Lewis is the founder and CEO of Golden Gate Institute for Physical Medicine in CA, which provides education and clinical management of pain.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
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Top image: Shutterstock/FineShine
How Martial Arts Tournaments Can Help Kids Face Bullies
Here’s how martial arts tournaments can help your child stand up to bullies and also prevent being targeted by bullies.
As with any type of school, parents should do their homework to find the most suitable, professionally-run martial arts school, and then sign their child up.
This can be for any number of martial arts styles, such as karate, taekwondo and kenpo.
I’ve spent years in the martial arts and have competed in tournaments as an adult.
However, tournaments are for all ages, and I’ve taken classes that were for both kids and adults.
Thus, I know exactly what goes on at martial arts tournaments and how children and teens are instructed to prepare for them.
Bullying Isn’t Always About Physical Fights
Not all kids who are afraid to stand up to a bully fear getting beaten up. Bullying can take non-physical forms.
With that said, some kids attract the bullies or “mean girls” more than others.
It seems as though bullies have some kind of homing device that leads them straight to the victim.
Martial arts teaches confident vocal skills and posturing in kids who come across as being skittish or meek, lacking in confidence and easily bossed around.
Shutterstock, Ravil Sayfullin
Martial Arts Tournaments: the Bully Weapon
Martial arts tournaments include “forms” or “kata.” These are choreographed sequences of lower and upper body movements to fight off imaginary opponents.
Prior to starting the form, the participant must first face a panel of adult judges who are all sitting in a straight line.
Most may be wearing all black. All have black belts. They are all staring at the child — with a stern look.
This is wildly intimidating to the novice meek or “nerdy” child. It can even be intimidating to novice adults.
However…it doesn’t stay that way. Over time, children develop confident body language and speech skills.
Imagine what kind of self-confidence a 7-year-old must have, to be able to finally face the panel of stern-looking judges without a flinch, introduce himself with an authoritative voice, and in that same strong voice, identify the form he or she is about to perform — getting within several feet of the judges during certain points of the form.
Any child who can learn to pull this off without a quiver can face any school bully, including several bullies at once.
And that’s assuming such a situation even occurs. Remember, bullies are good at spotting the kids who easily quiver and tremor.
They will NOT be drawn to a child who can easily face that panel of judges and holler out an introduction while making stern eye contact back!
But if they mistake this child for an easily-controlled one, they’ll be in for a surprise when the tiger comes out of that sheepy looking child. And I don’t mean a karate kick to the bully’s head.
In fact, bullies are often afraid of a fistfight, which is why they pick on kids whom they think will never strike back in any shape, way or form.
Even the most timid child or teen can learn how to face a panel of judges and assertively announce their position.
This is rehearsed over and over during martial arts classes. Over and over. It becomes second nature. Practice makes perfect.
As a child — who’s already being bullied — develops this skill, the bullies will pick up that something is changing in their victim. They’ll start backing off.
Lorra Garrick is a former personal trainer certified through the American Council on Exercise. At Bally Total Fitness she trained women and men of all ages for fat loss, muscle building, fitness and improved health.
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Tingling, Numbness and Pain in Both Hands Isn’t Always CTS
Pain, numbness and tingling in both hands can easily be misdiagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome. Another, much less known condition can mimic CTS.
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Sometime in early September 2018, I started feeling pains of tingling and numbness in both of my hands, primarily in the mornings when I’d wake up.
Initially, I thought this was caused by poor sleeping habits, but after occurring several nights in a row I was starting to get concerned.
After about a week, the pain increased, sending a throbbing sensation throughout my hands.
Using terms such as a nerve separation or spiderwebbing explosion, the pain almost always originated from a single point at my wrist.
There was a hot fiery electrical sensation associated with the pain.
Tasks such as opening circular or spherical doorknobs and turning it, or trying to remove the lid off a pickle jar, would usually activate it.
Simple things like brushing my teeth or doing the dishes were arduous.
Anytime I had my hands slightly elevated from my body, my arms felt fatigued.
I decided to see my GP. She referred me to a specialist in neurology.
The neurologist asked several questions. He ran a few tests to reproduce the pain.
Then there was a nerve conduction procedure which was mildly uncomfortable. The second test — an electromyography — was more invasive.
Electromyography. Shutterstock/Roman Zaiets
His test indicated that I had mild carpal tunnel syndrome in both hands. I did some research and found it was rare to have it bilaterally, so I was skeptical of his diagnosis.
Not only that, but my symptoms did not feel mild. Sometimes they were downright disabling.
He suggested a cortisone shot in both wrists which could allow for several months of reduced swelling for the general discomfort.
He started off with a cortisone shot in my left wrist. I experienced a cortisone flare; a temporary reaction of increased pain as it binds inside the tissue.
I felt no relief once the reaction from the cortisone subsided.
The neurologist recommended a carpal tunnel release. I was not willing to undergo the surgery to alleviate symptoms of a condition that I may or may not have developed.
My GP decided to refer me to another type of doctor. She suspected the origination might be further up my arm, perhaps near the shoulder joint area.
I met with the specialist; he was engaged as I described the events that occurred, and I felt as if perhaps he knew what I’d been going through.
Next, he performed some tests. Raising my arms straight up in the air, he took my pulse which could indicate a compression at some point from my thoracic spine. There was a noticeable reduction.
He had one of his technicians perform a vascular ultrasound.
Throughout parts of the test, I was instructed to move my arms throughout many positions.
The computer hooked up to the ultrasound recorded the pressure and speed of my blood flow.
The Results Explained
I had a condition known as thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS): a compression of the brachial plexus.
Thoracic outlet syndrome. BruceBlaus, CC BY-SA 4.0/creativecommons.org
This is an area where a network of nerves, including the subclavian artery and subclavian vein, pass through the scalene muscles in the neck, underneath the collarbone and over the first rib.
The scalene muscles the pec minor muscles (chest) are very commonly involved.
When these muscles become overactive, they tend to squish the network of nerves directly exiting the cervical and thoracic spine or between the pec minor and the rib.
The doctor said it can be brought on by a sports injury or automobile accident.
Other times it might be caused by repetitive motions from work or extreme amounts of stress (tightening your scalene muscles unnaturally through periods of emotional trepidation can trigger symptoms).
Some people who suffer from TOS have an extra rib above the first.
This “cervical rib” is a genetic inheritance and present at birth. However, this anomaly is very rare.
The doctor wanted to run a few more tests to rule out other possibilities of cause.
After a CT scan and two MRI’s and an X-ray, the results were negative. I did not have the cervical rib.
The Treatment
I required physical therapy from anywhere between one to six months depending on the severity of my thoracic outlet syndrome, and how well I responded to the exercises. Surgery was not required.
What I required was muscle strengthening and stretching, isolating the proper areas and targeting them.
I found a physical therapist and booked my first appointment.
She showed me some basic home stretches and exercises to strengthen specific muscles. After several months I started feeling some relief.
I continued with the exercises for well over a year, but the biggest amount of relief came within those first few months.
Generally speaking, I don’t have to do the exercises regularly anymore, only when I feel like impending pain just around the corner.
I have since joined a TOS forum on Facebook to connect with others like me.
Kimbery Ashington was born and raised in Kelowna, BC, and has been residing in the Greater Toronto Area since 2010. She is managing editor at RateRaiders.ca and passionate about helping Canadians navigate the waters of their finances. Check out her article on how to destroy bad credit. Twitter: @rateraiders
Top image: Shutterstock/WSW1985
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Are You Feeling Sick and Tired Lately? Muscle Cramps Too?
Have you been feeling tired and sick with muscle cramps, just not feeling right, but your doctor can’t figure out what’s wrong?
Have you had all sorts of tests but they keep coming up normal?
Have multiple doctors actually told you that all your symptoms — even the muscle cramps — are due to stress and that you should just try to relax more?
There’s a very high chance that you’ve been misdiagnosed as suffering from stress or anxiety, or perhaps from not getting enough sleep.
But if you’ve also been experiencing insomnia, this is a symptom, not a medical condition.
What Your Doctor Should Test For
“Celiac disease is often misdiagnosed or left undiagnosed for many reasons,” says Stefano Guandalini, MD, Founder and Medical Director, The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center.
“Primarily, the disease has hundreds of symptoms that can mimic other problems, so if the possibility of celiac is not on the physician’s radar, the tests are not ordered.”
The irony is that the screening test for celiac disease is a simple blood test; nothing at all complicated.
Maybe you’ve heard of celiac disease and believe you can’t possibly have it because:
1) You’re older or 2) Your symptoms don’t include diarrhea or other digestive distress.
Here’s a surprise: Most people with celiac disease do not experience diarrhea or constipation.
Dr. Guandalini continues, “The underlying issue, of course, is that physicians in the U.S., until very recently, were taught that celiac disease was very rare, which we know is incorrect.
“It is part of our mission to re-educate medical professionals about celiac disease in hopes of raising awareness and diagnosis rates.”
The current estimate is that about one out of 100 people have CD. Most people who have the condition don’t have symptoms. They are usually tested when a family member with symptoms is properly diagnosed.
And the symptoms sometimes include feeling more tired than usual, or just a feeling of being sick or not well. Muscle cramps and joint pain are possible.
Feeling sick or tired and having muscle cramps can be caused by many other disorders, but celiac disease can easily be ruled out — or in.
The University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center states:
Most physicians learned during medical school that celiac disease was so rare they would never see a patient with symptoms in their entire medical career. Lectures on celiac disease in medical schools, even today, are few and far between.
When your doctor was in medical school, he or she may have heard a 20-30 minute celiac disease lecture during four years of classes. Medical textbooks still contain outdated information.
This is changing, however. More and more doctors are alert to the possibility of this autoimmune condition in a patient presenting with feelings of malaise, fatigue, tiredness, muscle cramps and various other “unexplained” symptoms.
If you’re feeling ill and run-down and have been diagnosed with depression, anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia or anemia, request a blood test for celiac disease, which can cause fatigue, psychiatric issues and anemia.
Over 200 Symptoms
In addition to fatigue, feeling unusually tired and muscle camps, Celiac disease can cause the following:
• Brain fog
• Skin rash
• Dental enamal problems
• Mouth sores
• Tingling/numbness in the legs and feet
• Weight loss
• Bloating
• Gas
• Constipation
• Headache
• Bone loss
• Recurrent miscarriage
Dr. Guandalini
