Thunderclap Headaches

[moose85]

Just wondering whether anyone has experienced thunderclap headaches before.

I find myself on the no training list after getting smashed by headaches the last two times out. They are like being hit in both sides of the head with a baseball bat and are instant but then take days to go away.

A bunch of medical tests later and the docs are none the wiser. Just wondering whether anyone has experienced them and what the cause - see if I can't give the docs some thing to look for.

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[matagi]

I take it you have had imaging of the brain? If you have had two such episodes, you should be seeing a neurologist.

Also, what is your blood pressure like?

[moose85]

I've had a ct scan that showed up only small anomolies. Normal stuff for my age. My bp used to be really bad but has been perfect and un medicated for nearly two years. No wild numbers there either. 24 hour bp test Thursday including training to replicate incidents. Hope it at least points to something.

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[outnabike]

Those antlers , are they strap on or just like with a plastic hair band?........ Sorry ...
But really are you getting some pressure from the helmet or is your bar set up low and making you arch your neck up whilst riding. I know I get neck pains if my head set is too low. But I am very old.

[moose85]

They're carefully crafted bone implants lol.

Helmet all good. Hadn't thought about the bar but will look at that. Have had them running too so pretty sure it's not bike related. Doctors think it's exercise related. Am training for my first triathlon...

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[earlybird]

I used to get a splitting headache when doing sprints. I could ride without a problem until I got up and sprinted. A couple of physio sessions on the back of my neck sorted it out.

[moose85]

I used to get a splitting headache when doing sprints. I could ride without a problem until I got up and sprinted. A couple of physio sessions on the back of my neck sorted it out.

You might be right. I hadn't thought about it but I do have issues with neck pain. And all of my headaches, whether on the bike or running have been sprinting or keeping my head upright to improve running stroke...

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[moosterbounce]

Headaches are such a personal thing. I get migraines such that I take a daily preventative medication. It mostly fixes them, but I have other triggers such as garlic and bananas that I avoid. Anyway, when I was trying to work out my triggers, I did lots of reading and found so many contradictions - exercise, lack of exercise, stress, lack of stress, muscle spasm (which they now often treat with Botox!!), foods, strong smells...there were so many. My doc said I was lucky exercise wasn't a trigger for me as I'd always have one.

For me, a migraine can feel like someone has slapped me on the back of the head, followed by a world of pain from headache, nausea, starred vision, and one or twice i've experienced hemiplegia. That was weird. I get nearly all known migraine symptoms, yet others get only one or two ie no visual disturbance or headache does happen.

I suppose what I'm trying to say is that with things like this, it is so personal that other peoples experiences may not be beneficial. They may give you things to investigate, but that's all. If it wasn't for my own research, I wouldn't have realized banana is a recognized trigger...especially as I used to eat them without issue when I was younger so had kinda ignored them as a factor.

I hope Thursdays tests provide some clarity. Keep us posted.

[TheBikeShed]

Although I agree that others' experiences are only somewhat valuable, I think neck and shoulder tension is definitely something to look into. I know a few people who get tension headaches from the muscles in their neck tightening up, and it seems to me like this could be related to your difficulties. I've posted this link before, but I'll post it again here—even if it doesn't solve your problem, it's still a stretching sequence that I really like for loosening up your shoulders and back, which can contribute to upper back and neck tightness. And yes, keep us posted!

[moose85]

It seems my neck is the issue... after a raft of tests it looks like some work is required on my neck muscles... chiro or physio apparently. Potentially there is a small amount of arthritis there too from some previous injuries.

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[matagi]

I would say physio, unfortunately I don't know who's who on the Central Coast these days so I can't recommend anyone.