excercise induced headaches

PropositionJoe

PropositionJoe

2,500+ Posts
anyone have experience with these? i was on the leg press last wednesday, and on my last set it was like someone hit me in the head with a hammer. started going away on monday, but when i got back in the gym it got even worse.

went to the doctor yesterday, and he thinks it's just tension headaches, but told me to come back if it hasnt gone away by next week.

anyone ever had a long lasting one?
 
My wife has them, and they seem to be connected to high blood pressure. Have you ever measured your blood pressure immediately afterwards?
 
funny that you mention that. i went to the doctor the other day to get it checked out, and i'm normally at 120/60, and i was at 140/80. doctor didnt know if it was the cause of or in reaction to the headaches.

took it easy at the gym this week, going to go hard on monday again. we'll see what happens.

good thought on the BP. i might need to pick up something to check that more often.
 
you are not alone. i also sometimes get them, though only have HEAVY exercise (legs!) as well.

guess what? i take blood pressure meds. never asked the dr about it, just figured it was a hard workout.
 
For exercise-induced headaches, one might consider (1) dialing back the workout and slowly ramping back up, (2) paying attention to his breathing and hydration, and (3) taking some aspirin or nsaid a little before starting his workouts for a few weeks. If it doesn't help or something seems wrong, see a doctor.
 
She monitors her blood pressure regularly. She is really fit, but she has genetic high blood pressure. She takes one prescription and an over the counter water pill. Water pills have the effect of lowering blood pressure, so they might work for you independently.
 
the original incident was last wednesday...and i've still got moderate headaches and just overall tension in my neck. just a weird feeling to basically have a headache for a week and a half.
 
That actually might be a pinched disk. Maybe a good massage would help. I used to have those all the time at my last job when I felt stressed since nothing pleased them. I found a job that I love and all of a sudden headaches gone. If it is lasting that long, I would suggest that other. Still watch your BP too. Wife used to have chronic headaches before I asked her to get it checked out.
 
you know you might be right about that. the only medicine it responds to is advil...which (if i'm not mistaken) is also anti inflammatory...which would make sense if it's a pinched nerve or disk.

that makes a ton of sense...interesting. i'll have to go back to the doc to check it out. thanks a ton.
 
I had the exact thing happen to me about 6 months ago. I had just finished a 5 minute walking warm-up on the treadmill (which I usually don't do) and went straight to the leg press machine. I did a set with 1 45 lb. plate on each side, then 2, then 3, then 4, then 5 and on that last set something crazy happened in my skull and I stopped immediately. The headache subsided some after I took Advil, but it stayed around at a low level for around 2 more days, then left for good.
 
ive had headaches related to severe dehydration but it sounds like these are induced by heavy weight lifting and last a few days. ive never had one last after a nights sleep. sunds like a massive blood rush to head.
 
The best way to evaluate the possible effect of high blood pressure on your headaches is to take your BP during exercise or immediately after the exercise, particularly if you check the BP on a day you actually get the headache . Some elevation is expected, but extremely high levels would be of concern. If they continue, play it safe and get them checked out.
 
went back to the doctor today. head wasnt hurting so much...but the i was on the cusp of a tension headache. told him about the idea of a pinched nerve/disc, and he agreed. prescribed a muscle relaxer and some antiinflammatories.

popped one of the antiinflammatories before working out, and was able to go through without any pain. i'm wary of the muscle relaxers, so i think i'll keep those off to the side...it's definitely getting better. we'll just have to wait and see.

thanks for the information and the help. hornfans comes through!
 
Leg press, dead lifts and hacksquats are killers for me....they just take it all out of you.

Take it easy Joe



hookem.gif
 
Joe: Hope you weren't doing that "Ag squeeze thing" while exercising. I'm thinking that is the source of these mystery headaches.
 
eason you are a gentleman and a scholar. your contribution to this thread truly has made an impact. bravo on being such a prolific helpful person with a magnificent ability for wordplay.

notreally, i'll send them over. still wary of the muscle relaxants, but the prescription antiinflammatories really made a difference. tomorrow is a heavy lifting day. we'll see how it goes.
 
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