Pain in back of head while lifting.

Whey Hey · 09-30-2009, 03:32 PM

Hi all,

Was squatting the other day, i had a cup of coffee in the morning, then about 6:30 in the evening i squatted, on my final set got a crazy bad pounding headache in the back of my head. I think it might be a caffeine problem, i remember i had some N.O Xplode last year, and worked out afterwards, the headache was like 2x as bad.

HOWEVER.

This was about a week ago, and i worked out today, just some benching. I got the same pain, but it was in the center of my brain, not the back of my head like before.

Im pretty scared as it puts me in a trance.... colours become more vivid and im almost in slow motion as i look around, very weird.

So in total this has happened twice in the last week and a half.....

About 2 and a half weeks ago i was on holiday, drank for 7 days straight (lots of beer etc), so maybe that had some sort of effect? i dunno...

If anyone has experienced the same thing, let me know,

Whey.

marblehead · 10-01-2009, 07:11 AM

Very simple answer

You are not drinking enough water.

Beer dehydrates you, Caffeine dehydrates you.

Drink more water and that should fix the issue

thesparkly1 · 10-03-2009, 01:39 AM

Whey, it could be a number of things ranging from dehydration (from drinking diuretic beverages) to cervical spine dysfunction. I've treated several athletes over the years who presented with sudden-onset head pain during weight-lifting, and in each case they had probs with the mobility of their upper cervical spine. I suggest following marblehead's good advice above - up the water intake and lay off the diuretic drinks for a while and see if the problem goes away. If it doesn't, go and see a good physio or chiropractor to have your neck assessed.

Kyle.Lgk · 10-03-2009, 10:16 PM

Sometimes I get pain in the back of my head when I'm lifting real heavy (overstraining)... I feel like it could be caused from holding my breath but I'm not sure

thesparkly1 · 10-03-2009, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kyle.Lgk

Sometimes I get pain in the back of my head when I'm lifting real heavy (overstraining)... I feel like it could be caused from holding my breath but I'm not sure

Sounds like yours may be caused by high blood pressure Kyle. Holding your breath & straining is what we refer to as a valsalva maneuver & is a sure way to put your BP through the roof. On maximal lifts you really should try to avoid this because it can have some catastrophic consequences.

Whey Hey · 10-04-2009, 02:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marblehead

Very simple answer

You are not drinking enough water.

Beer dehydrates you, Caffeine dehydrates you.

Drink more water and that should fix the issue

Just to clarify, the week of drinking was 3 weeks ago. So my first session back in the gym was 2 weeks after i got back from holiday (surely the effects of the alcohol would of dissipated by then?)

Also, it was one small cup of coffee in the morning, and i lifted at 6:30, the half-life of caffeine cant be more than 9 hours; so i dont know how it affected me so bad.

By the way Sparky thanks for the advice, ill definately get it checked out if it persists; ill probably take a week off first.

From what i know it could be the following things thus far:

- Caffeine related problem.
- Not breathing properly.
- High Blood pressure (correlated with not breathing correctly)
- Cervical Spine Mobility.

thesparkly1 · 10-04-2009, 09:24 AM

Whey Hey i think you can cross caffeine off your list mate. If you were intolerant to it, you should've experienced some sort of reaction or headache in the first hour or so after taking it, not 12 hours later. Interestingly, some of the most effective headache medications are fortified with caffeine for a very good reason - caffeine tends to have a positive (not negative) effect on the circulation in out brains & assists in the treatment of headaches (and migraine).
'Not breathing properly' is a little ambiguous as a cause of headache, but i think you could probably cross this one off your list as well. If you have any doubt, hold your breath for as long as you can, see what happens to your head and then cross it off your list. If your brain was deprived of oxygen during training, i can assure you that a headache would be the least of your worries. Having said that, i alluded to something earlier called a valsalva maneuver and this can cause headaches in susceptible people by elevating blood pressure. When considering this as a possibility, be mindful of the fact that we tend to perform this maneuver throughout the day when we cough, sneeze, strain going to the toilet etc. Whilst it cant be ruled out, it seems a little unlikely to be a cause in your case, unless you are hypertensive at rest (and even then it would be unusual).
What wouldn't be unusual is for your cervical spine to be causing the problem. On that note, i urge you to keep the bar off your neck when you squat (or have it well padded) in case this is a contributing factor. And for all the other exercises that you do to fatigue, be wary of keeping your head and neck in a neutral (looking forward, chin slightly tucked in) position as you exercise and resist the tendency to tighten up and throw your head around as you force out the last few reps. If the pain persists for more than a few weeks or if it worsens, follow my earlier advice and get your cervical spine looked at.

Whey Hey · 10-04-2009, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thesparkly1

Whey Hey i think you can cross caffeine off your list mate. If you were intolerant to it, you should've experienced some sort of reaction or headache in the first hour or so after taking it, not 12 hours later. Interestingly, some of the most effective headache medications are fortified with caffeine for a very good reason - caffeine tends to have a positive (not negative) effect on the circulation in out brains & assists in the treatment of headaches (and migraine).
'Not breathing properly' is a little ambiguous as a cause of headache, but i think you could probably cross this one off your list as well. If you have any doubt, hold your breath for as long as you can, see what happens to your head and then cross it off your list. If your brain was deprived of oxygen during training, i can assure you that a headache would be the least of your worries. Having said that, i alluded to something earlier called a valsalva maneuver and this can cause headaches in susceptible people by elevating blood pressure. When considering this as a possibility, be mindful of the fact that we tend to perform this maneuver throughout the day when we cough, sneeze, strain going to the toilet etc. Whilst it cant be ruled out, it seems a little unlikely to be a cause in your case, unless you are hypertensive at rest (and even then it would be unusual).
What wouldn't be unusual is for your cervical spine to be causing the problem. On that note, i urge you to keep the bar off your neck when you squat (or have it well padded) in case this is a contributing factor. And for all the other exercises that you do to fatigue, be wary of keeping your head and neck in a neutral (looking forward, chin slightly tucked in) position as you exercise and resist the tendency to tighten up and throw your head around as you force out the last few reps. If the pain persists for more than a few weeks or if it worsens, follow my earlier advice and get your cervical spine looked at.

Hi Sparky, thanks again or the detailed response.

The only reason i mentioned caffeine was because on two separate occassions now, that has been the impetus for the headaches occuring; i really cant explain it.

I could easily drink a cup of coffee if i wasnt lifting, but the times i have lifted whilst having a cup hours before have messed me up terribly with this headache.

As i mentioned before, i tried a supplement called BSN NO Xplode (probably the most bought supplement out there), and the first time i took it, when i was bench pressing an hour later the pain was terrible, like being hit in the back of the head with a baseball bat (literally, with each throb). When i had this cup of coffee the other week, i got the same pain, but it was lessened (which makes sense, NO XPLODE is like having 10 cups of coffee, together with n02 and creatine etc).

I do remember that for a week after i took no xplode every strenuous activity i did caused this headache. I was even jerking off one day and got the pain after i finished up (gross, but its true). I think it took a whole week to go away, and i could never explain it since.....

Im going to be squatting tommorow with a friend, going fairly heavy, so if the pain comes back ill definately take a week off and see a doctor.