neck pain

12 February 2015

Migraine Symptom: Neck Pain (poll results)

There is an increasing awareness that neck pain is a major symptom of migraine. In fact, neck pain seems to be more common in migraine than nausea.

Our recent poll affirms this once again. You were asked, Do you feel that neck pain is a symptom of your migraine attacks?

Neck Pain and Migraine

85% said yes, with only 11% saying no.

This fits well with a study on neck pain and migraine that we talked about last year – 69% of those with episodic migraine had some disability from neck pain, and 92% of those with chronic migraine had some disability from neck pain.

Neck pain is more than just a pain in the neck – it’s actually disabling, on top of the disabling pain of migraine, and other common symptoms such as visual disturbances and nausea.

Although it was once believed that “tension headaches” (tension-type headaches) were caused by muscle tension, we now know that the causes are much more complex. However, there is a much rarer type of headache called a cervicogenic headache, which actually does come from pain in the neck or else a disorder in the neck, spine, and surrounding tissue. To give a diagnosis of cervicogenic headache, your doctor must find evidence of a disorder or lesion within the cervical spine or soft tissues of the neck, and this must directly cause your headache.

But for most of us, neck pain is another part of the migraine puzzle, a disabling piece that should not be ignored by patient or doctor.

6 August 2014

Neck Pain: A Missing Piece of the Migraine Puzzle?

James Discoveries & Stats, Information 25

Everyone knows about headache, nausea, visual auras – maybe even vertigo or congestion. These are all possible symptoms of a migraine attack. And then there are comorbid disorders, such as depression or IBS.

But how often do we talk about neck pain when we talk about migraine?

Of course we talk about it – sometimes. But a recent study questions whether we should be talking about it a lot more.

Some researchers in Brazil have been probing into the link between neck pain and migraine. One of their recent studies was published in the Journal Headache.

The question was not whether or not migraine patients have neck pain. It was more a question of disability.

But let’s go back a step. In 2010, in a study entitled The Prevalence of Neck Pain in Migraine, researchers discovered that neck pain was actually more likely to accompany migraine than nausea.

As the migraine attack progressed, nausea (if present) tended to increase, but so did neck pain.

Also, the more attacks a person had per month, the more likely they were to experience nausea. But the neck pain also increased, remaining more common than nausea.

Now, of course, if you’re nauseous and your neck hurts, usually the neck pain will be ignored and the nausea will be treated, because you can function somewhat with neck pain (if it isn’t too severe), whereas nausea can keep you from just about any activity.

Now, back to the more recent study. The study discovered that not only was neck pain present, but it was disabling. For some people it was more disabling than others, but 69% of those with episodic migraine had some disability from neck pain, and 92% of those with chronic migraine had some disability from neck pain!

So what have we learned so far? Neck pain is associated with migraine. More than a co-morbid condition, neck pain seems to rise and fall with individual migraine attacks. Neck pain is also worse for those with chronic migraine.

Research over the past few years, including the recent study, are showing not only that migraine and neck pain are related, but that neck pain seems to be a symptom of migraine. In fact, it may be a very common symptom of migraine. On top of that, it seems to be a significantly disabling symptom of migraine.

A lot of questions remain, of course. Is the migraine attack contributing to the neck pain, or vice versa? Or could the neck pain and migraine rise from a common cause? The answer may be a mix of all three, and research in Brazil and elsewhere continues to investigate just where this neck pain is coming from and what its characteristics are.

Meanwhile, those of us with migraine need to pay attention to neck pain as a possible symptom of our migraine attacks. It’s something that should find its way into migraine diaries and discussions with our doctor.

Researchers in 2010 also discovered that patients delayed treating migraine when neck pain was present. It’s possible that our lack of understanding of the relationship is keeping us from recognizing a migraine attack. If you pay attention to neck pain symptoms, you may be able to recognize a migraine attack faster and treat it earlier.

What about you? Do you experience neck pain with migraine attacks? Tell us about it!

23 June 2012

Pain During Migraine: Not Just in Your Head

James Discoveries & Stats, Website news 2

Our latest poll asked this question: Other than your head, where else do you sometimes/always experience pain during a migraine attack? (choose as many as apply)

The results were not surprising, but they do reinforce what a complex disease migraine really is. Here are the stats, with some comments.

During I migraine attack, I also have pain here:

Neck (83%): The question with all of these is – does the pain come from the migraine attack, or is there a related cause. Or, for example, does the cause of neck pain also trigger the migraine attack? There’s no doubt that neck pain (and neck stiffness) come along with migraine. For more on neck pain, read Methods that are Really Fighting Neck Pain and Get rid of neck pain!
Face (60%): Facial pain is very common in migraineurs. In fact, in rare cases facial pain is the main pain in a migraine attack. Sometimes, migraine is mistaken for sinusitis because of the pain in the sinus area. See Migraine: Does your face hurt?
Stomach (37%): Another very common issue in migraine, and again, stomach pain (abdominal pain) may be the main symptom in your attack. This is especially common in children. Read about abdominal migraine here.
Back (32%): Back pain is another prime suspect when it comes to migraine triggers. Could pain and tense muscles trigger (not cause) an attack? Also, could your body’s reaction to migraine pain cause back pain? I think the answer to both could be yes. Read Dissolving tension.
Arms (22%): This was an interesting response that I hadn’t given much thought to. But I do know that migraine can cause pain from head to toe – been there, done that. But why is arms so high on the list? What are your experiences with this?
Skin (19%): Sensitive and painful skin is very common in migraine. The technical term is cutaneous allodynia, and it commonly strikes on the scalp and arms. Combing your hair or wearing a shirt can be very painful. Read My Hair Hurts! Migraine and Allodynia
Other (16%): As I said, head to toe. And I could say inside to outside.

These were the most common answers. However, visitors also included hands (14%), legs (12%), chest (12%), fingers/toes (12%), feet (8%), and finally pelvis (6%).

I’ve taken to saying that migraine attacks can cause pain all over the body – and they really can. It’s time to bust the myth that migraine is a bad headache. Oh yes, migraine often brings on bad headaches – really bad – but that’s not all.

Be sure to take our new poll on migraine triggers!

24 February 2012

Methods that are Really Fighting Neck Pain

James Discoveries & Stats, Treatments 6

Killing migraine-triggering neck pain – what’s the best way? A recent study looked at a related question.

Last week we were talking about the pain that comes along with migraine – of which neck pain is at the top of the list.. We also were talking about how other issues – painful issues, such as neck pain, can lead to migraine. A new study published this month in the Annals of Internal Medicine (an academic journal published by the American College of Physicians) looked at three ways that people dealt with neck pain – and what worked the best.

The study looked at three groups of patients – those taking medication, those using exercise (therapeutic exercise done at home), and those taking chiropractic treatment.

After twelve weeks, here are the results. The chart below shows the % of patients who experienced at least 75% relief:

Google Chart

The clear winner was chiropractic, with 57%. Of those taking medication, only 33% found that much relief.

But there’s more. A year later, 53% of those who received chiropractic treatment still had 75% relief, and only 38% of those on medication.

My chiropractor always urged me to do exercise at home on top of regular adjustments. This study seems to suggest he was right. It would be interesting to see how people fared who used a combination of treatments.