Painfull head after running? - Health + Injury

Homer Hart

01/10/2002 at 23:17

Hi all, my other half is trying to get into running however quite often she runs and afterwards gets a really painfull head, she describes it as at the front of her head and a painful aching that gets so bad that it keeps her awake, last night she ran at around 10pm and the pain was still there at around 6am!
I have made sure that she is having adequate fluid but not too much etc but I can't think of anything else that might help - any ideas?

Fell Running

02/10/2002 at 08:17

Sounds wierd. Could be her action. Is she running like Paula Radcliffe - no not as fast as her - but nodding her head a lot ??
This could be putting strain on the muscles at the back of the neck, which can sometimes lead to a headache.

It could also be some sort of other neck problem. Does this ever happen when she isn't running ??

Eyestrain may also be a possibility. Does your partner wear specs or contacts normally and remove them for running ??

I'd pay my GP a visit as well - just to be safe....

Hope this helps

Parsley

02/10/2002 at 14:28

I find that when I swim, and I haven't eaten enough carbs, I get a really bad pounding headache. Strangely, this only happens when I swim. Might be worth eating a banana about an hour before the run?

I thought for ages it was dehydration, but ater experimenting, I know it's not.

Worth a try...

Xerxes

02/10/2002 at 15:18

Might be the running by streetlight etc. straining the eyes to see etc. Try running by day and see if the same thing occurs.

Other possibility is a heavy running style, which may jolt the whole body including the head.

Xerxes

02/10/2002 at 15:35

I was going to suggest that there was a possibility of her running into things in the dark but (rarely for me) I resisted.

Oops.

Sore Toes

02/10/2002 at 22:03

Could it be due to overheating? If I get too hot I almost invariably get a headache a couple of hours later.

Yv.

06/10/2002 at 20:40

I suffer from the same kind of headaches and wondered if it was 'beginner runner' syndrome! Have tried drinking a lot more fluid before a run - doesn't make a difference. I've had bp checked - all ok, so i am thinking of sticking with it in the hope that the headaches will disappear.

Mungus

06/10/2002 at 21:14

Neck tension sounds like a good call. If there's a problem with her neck biomechanics, it could be causing jarring at the front of the head, or neurological symptoms because of tense muscles and irritated nerves. There's no reason why it shouldn't be fixable. How about seeing an osteopath?

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