Push-ups and severe pain...

I did a series of push-ups recently for a fitness test that the academy I'm in requires. Well, I pushed it, no pun intended, and on the last push-up....I felt this extreme pain when the back and base of my head meets the beginning of the neck. To be specific, it's in the left hemisphere. It was very debilitating and felt like an extremely bad headache. That is...I felt a lot of pain with each pump of blood my heart delivered....like a "pulse" headache. Even laying completely flat...the headache didn't go away. Not to be an alarmist...but I thought perhaps I ruptured some vein or something. My fellow academy friends were telling me to breathe (I was holding my breath and exerting as much force as I could on that last push-up). I know that holding one's breath and exerting force heightens blood pressure...which made me all the more concerned that my headache was the result of something rupturing. I was able to do a run a little bit later...but it has been three days since the physical tests we were administered and I still get recurring pain in the same area. Sometimes, I'll get it if I get up too fast. Or if I'm sitting in a chair and have a good stretch....the pain all of a sudden comes out of nowhere sharply as soon as I exhale. It's the same sort of pulsing acute headache pain that I felt in the left hemisphere as when I pushed it on the push-ups. I am concerned, but haven't seen a doctor yet. I would really appreciate any feedback. Thank you.

~Alexander~

[Kyokushin]

Hey spandro, I just got the same thing doing pushups tonight.  I think it mqy be associatrwd with bad form - or looking forward instead of straight down when doing a push up. It very well could have sprained a muscle at the base of your skull. How do you feel now? Did it take some time to heal? Any tips?

[ryanleman]

yo just today the same thing started, i do look straight forward and i dont think it is due to bad form cause i give good attention to form so i dont cheat myself in my workout but yah it pretty much like he said but mine was more central compared to his left, i did a total of 132 than got it, only habbit i know that might contribute to this is that i do crack my neck from time to time and decided not to do that this time so if you two do the same (cracking neck) maybe we've weakened something. oh and i was breathing heavly when it happened and still feel it