Chronic tension headaches, neck or back pain? Occipital neuralgia??

[intensitylisa]

:-( Just checking to see if any of you have suffered from chronic tension in the form of either headaches, neck or back pain or all three combined? I have had all of these for years and finally this past January got soo bad that it fried my greater and lesser occipital nerves which are the nerves in the back of the head, scalp and neck where it connects with the cervical spine. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated! :*

 

[Mikkia]

RE: Chronic tension headaches, neck or back pain? Occip...

Have you seen a DR? What do you mean it fried your occiptal nerves? If you have been checked out by a MD, and there is no relief (which there isn't alot of times with this kind of problem)I would head to a chiropractor, asap. IMHO there is no one better with dealing with chronic muscle tension or cervical spine issues. In my experience, when I am under a lot of stress I hunch my shoulders, which stresses my neck, which gives me headaches. I just have to be careful. Please be checked out, you must feel terrible!

 

[krec4]

Hi,
Unfortunately I am experiencing the same thing. I also have a bad sinus infection and I am on my second antibiotic. The doc also prescribed a muscle relaxer and a pain pill which I take only when it gets really bad because I don't like taking med's. The muscle relaxer seems to be helping and I just started to get back into working out after a week off due to the infection. My hubby and my kids have been giving me neck massages also and that helps.

I also like to put heat on my neck and back area and that helps also. Try anything that makes you relaxed, like a warm bath or soothing music.

I am still having pain but it is lesser but I know its hard to function like this. I couldn't even fold laundry last week(not that I want to) but even the littliest things are hard.

If you haven't seen a doc, I suggest that you do.

I hope you are feeling better soon!

Kathy

 

[intensitylisa]

To describe what I mean by fried back in January the tension go so bad that my hold head just tightened up and the nerves in my head felt as though they were frying (burning). I have been to several neurologists and had MRI's of my head. The next step is to take a MRI of my cervical spine and neck. I am not sure what happened but the whole situation escalated my anxiety. It was very scary. I was not sure if I was having a stroke or TIA (transient ischemic attack). The docs reassured me that my brain was fine. A massage would be a great idea. At the beginning of this whole episode I was not on any antianxiety medications and I should have been. I was initially put on Valium to calm me down. The next neurologist did not like me being on Valium as it is addictive, so I was then put on Cymbalata. At times now both my arms and legs tingle. I did have a nerve conduction study done of my arms and was told that the impules in my right arm were weakened. Still, I have no clue as to why. HELP!

 

[SRP]

What you describe sounds like a serious medical problem, beyond what most of us here can help with. Please continue to seek medical advice. Keep us posted, and take care!

 

[jasper]

Definately get checked out by a doc, and I'd suggest a dentist as well. I recently got a night guard and although I still have neck and shoulder pain from arthritis, my headaches are better because I stopped clinching my jaw constantly. Usually relief comes in various treatments, so be persistent and try different things.

good luck!

 

[jasper]

Definately get checked out by a doc, and I'd suggest a dentist as well. I recently got a night guard and although I still have neck and shoulder pain from arthritis, my headaches are better because I stopped clinching my jaw constantly. Usually relief comes in various treatments, so be persistent and try different things.

good luck!

 

[Rose11]

RE: Chronic tension headaches, neck or back pain? Occip...

I used to get those often, but my doctor referred me to a psychiatrist because he thought those were anxiety related and he was right. I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and I was put on medication. That was awhile ago and I'm no longer on those medications. I can't tell you that I don't get pain anymore because I still get tension migraines and stiffness in my neck once in awhile (especially right around that time of the month), but I used to get them once or twice a week and it's not like that now.

Everybody is different and I can't say that you have GAD like I did and that's what's causing your pain. Only a doctor can tell you what is going on so please go see one as soon as possible. I've been in your shoes many times. There were times that I couldn't even drive because I couldn't move my head in any direction and of course I wasn't sleeping well either. It's plain awful to experience that kind of pain and it is sometimes paralyzing. I hope you can do something about it soon. Take care.

 

[intensitylisa]

To Rosell! .

To Rosell! You hit it right on the nail! Yes I do have actually 4 different types of anxiety, ugh! Generalized, social, panic and something else, I can't remember. But with your headaches did it constantly tingle and feel like the nerves in your head were scattering? I know this sounds crazy to anyone who has never experienced this. I have been put on a generic form of Depakote for the nerve endings. Keep in touch! It is nice to have so much feedback! :* :+ ;( :7 javascript:smilie('x(')
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[Rose11]

RE: To Rosell! .

"But with your headaches did it constantly tingle and feel like the nerves in your head were scattering? I know this sounds crazy to anyone who has never experienced this."

Definitely! I don't know if your pain is a headache or a migraine. I get both and there's a difference. I suggest you google "cluster headaches" so you can see if your type of headache falls into that category. I get those and they are not fun. A long time ago I started a migraine thread in this Open Forum and I got a lot of helpful feedback. I suggest you do a search to see if you can find it. My stiffness in the neck has gotten so bad that I've been in the ER a couple of times and they usually give me a shot of Norflex to relax my muscles (then I can't sit down for a week or so because my butt doesn't like needles I guess ). I don't know if you're currently on treatment for your anxiety, but when I was, it helped me a lot with my tension headaches and related symptoms. If you're getting these symptoms and they're caused by anxiety (I can't tell you that, only your doctor can) I guess you can get medication for the pain, but if you don't treat your anxiety then you'll always be dealing with all these symptoms. I hope you can find a way out of this. I'm sending good vibes... Take care.