What Role does Neck Pain play in a Migraine Attack?
As we have discussed before, migraine and neck pain very often go together. You may remember the perhaps surprising results of our poll a few years ago – Migraine Symptom: Neck Pain (poll results). And, some of the research that tells us that neck pain in migraine is more common than nausea.
A lot of the report isn’t a surprise. Over 42% of patients reported neck pain as a part of their migraine attack. Both men and women experienced neck pain.
Now this may surprise some people. In 32% of cases, the neck pain appeared to be a trigger. But in 68%, the neck pain was a part of the attack itself, not a trigger at all. And almost 28% experienced neck pain after the headache was gone!
Researchers concluded that neck pain is commonly either a trigger or an actual symptom of migraine, most often a symptom during the main part of the attack.
Around the same time, Curelator came out with another puzzling result. For those using their app, many found that neck pain was a sign that they would be less likely to have an attack!
So what’s up with that?
Well, we’re not sure. But it could be that patients with neck pain from other sources are taking care to deal with the neck pain – thus helping fight migraine as well. This could include massage or certain neck exercises.
Read the Curelator article here: How can neck pain be a protector for migraine attacks?
For now, it’s important for patients and doctors to be aware of neck pain. Patients need to be checked in case their neck pain is a sign of something that is causing both the pain and the migraine attacks. And yes, fighting neck pain may fight migraine symptoms in some cases.