Member Comments are provided by individuals and reflect their personal opinions only. Under NO circumstances should you act on any advice or opinion posted in this forum. ALWAYS check with your personal physician before taking any action regarding your health! MedHelp International and our partners, sponsors and affiliates have no obligation to monitor any comments posted on this site, or the content and/or accuracy of such exchanges. MedHelp International does not endorse the views of any user.
Neurology (Expert Forum)
headache (head pain) only when bending over, coughing, sneezing
Answered by
Lama Chahine, MD - Neurology
Cleveland Clinic
Cleveland - OH
This forum is for questions and support regarding neurology issues such as: Alzheimer's Disease, ALS, Autism, Brain Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Chronic Pain, Epilepsy, Fibromyalgia, Headaches, MS, Neuralgia, Neuropathy, Parkinson's Disease, RSD, Sleep Disorders, Stroke, Traumatic Brain Injury.
headache (head pain) only when bending over, coughing, sneezing
by healthfreak648, Oct 22, 2009 09:44AM
Hello,
I have a headache only when i bend over, sneeze or cough. It does not last, i only feel it the moment i do one of the mentioned activities. It happened to me on tuesday, and again today (thursday).
I am worried about what this could be. It is not horrible pain.
Thanks for your answer.
I have a headache only when i bend over, sneeze or cough. It does not last, i only feel it the moment i do one of the mentioned activities. It happened to me on tuesday, and again today (thursday).
I am worried about what this could be. It is not horrible pain.
Thanks for your answer.
Doctor's Answer
by Lama Chahine, MD, Oct 25, 2009 10:50AM
, Oct 25, 2009 10:50AM
Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with your doctor.
Without the ability to examine you and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of your symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.
Coughing, sneezing, or bending over are maneuvers called valsalva, in which the pressure in the thoracic cavity increases as one "bears down". This pressure is transmitted to the brain. When headaches occur with valsalva, the concern would be that there is, for whatever reason, an abnormal build up of pressure in the skull. This occurs with various disorders, the most concerning of which are tumors. Please understand I am not trying to imply that I think you have a tumor, only that it is a concern in someone who has headache with valsalva. Other possibilities include specific brain variations such as Chiari malformation, a specific type of vasospasm in which the blood vessels of the brain narrow with specific types of exertion, leading to headache (what is termed reversible cerebral vasoconstriction), a condition called benign intracranial hypotension, and several other causes, some of which are benign. There may be no associated disorder at all, or it may be non-neurologic, such as musculoskeletal (from neck straining) or from sinus disease.
As you can see there are many potential causes to your symptoms, some of which are more concerning than others. but in general, symptoms such as yours warrant an evaluation, and evaluation by your primary doctor/family physician (internist etc) is recommended; imaging of the brain (with a CT brain or MRI) is important to exclude many of these causes if there is concern for them. If you have already had imaging of the brain, and there were no abnormalities, then the majority of the more serious conditions can be safely excluded.
Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.
Without the ability to examine you and obtain a history, I can not tell you what the exact cause of your symptoms is. However I will try to provide you with some useful information.
Coughing, sneezing, or bending over are maneuvers called valsalva, in which the pressure in the thoracic cavity increases as one "bears down". This pressure is transmitted to the brain. When headaches occur with valsalva, the concern would be that there is, for whatever reason, an abnormal build up of pressure in the skull. This occurs with various disorders, the most concerning of which are tumors. Please understand I am not trying to imply that I think you have a tumor, only that it is a concern in someone who has headache with valsalva. Other possibilities include specific brain variations such as Chiari malformation, a specific type of vasospasm in which the blood vessels of the brain narrow with specific types of exertion, leading to headache (what is termed reversible cerebral vasoconstriction), a condition called benign intracranial hypotension, and several other causes, some of which are benign. There may be no associated disorder at all, or it may be non-neurologic, such as musculoskeletal (from neck straining) or from sinus disease.
As you can see there are many potential causes to your symptoms, some of which are more concerning than others. but in general, symptoms such as yours warrant an evaluation, and evaluation by your primary doctor/family physician (internist etc) is recommended; imaging of the brain (with a CT brain or MRI) is important to exclude many of these causes if there is concern for them. If you have already had imaging of the brain, and there were no abnormalities, then the majority of the more serious conditions can be safely excluded.
Thank you for this opportunity to answer your questions, I hope you find the information I have provided useful, good luck.
Post Comment
