Head and neck pain.

[JoeyAmp]

Hey how's it going. I'm 22yr old male. A little over weight but taking care of that. Normal to high blood pressure depending on what I'm doing. Been eating right for the past couple weeks.

I've been getting these sharp pains in my head.. Towards te back of my skull above my neck. They last for a couple seconds but occurs multiple times a day. For the past couple of days I've been waking up and feels like my brain's swelling up in my skull. It feels like there's pressure in my head which causes headaches and discomfort. And it goes through out the whole day coming and going. It feels as if the pain starts in my neck(it always feels stiff like it needs to be popped but nothing..) and goes to the base of my skull and just radiates the pain in the back of my head. It feels like I can feel my pulse in the back of my skull with the pain. Could this be from bad posture? Would one of those shoulder posture braces help? Or should I goto the Dr. and ask for them to MRI me up and check it out? I have a history of head aches and migraines also.. I hate being one of the few cursed with migraines. It ***** to hear ppl who say they never get them.. ::shakes fist::

What should I do? What could it be? any help.. and advice would be much appreciated.

[DrNoopurMD]

Hi,

Yes it is very likely that these headaches are related to bad posture. I would suggest you to do some neck exercises every day, maintain a good posture while sitting and make sure your head and neck are well supported when lying down.
Other possibilities like cervical spine stenosis, disc herniation or prolapse also need to be ruled out. I would suggest you to get a clinical exam done if the pain persists even after correcting the posture because then the possibility of sinusitis and neuralgias also should be looked into.
Thanks

[marileew]

I think the first thing you should do is get this checked out by your doctor and see what he thinks... he might be able to give you an answer just by your description of what is going on. He might also need to order an MRI, but this might not be needed, you'll find out at the appointment.

The sharp quick headaches that go away in seconds sound like "ice-pick" headaches... which are usually totally harmless headaches that you can't really do anything about... 'cept for avoiding movement that triggers them. (such as bending over... try to bend at the knees; or turning your head to the side sharply... don't make sudden, jerky movements).

BUT, with all the other head pain that is going on... such as the morning head pain... I wouldn't say for sure that what you are experiencing is icepick headaches... I think with all the different symptoms you're having, you need medical advice on this one for sure.

In the mean time... keep healthy, keep exercising but don't do anything that aggravates the pain or discomfort, and since you get migraines, keep a migraine journal and see if these new headaches are at all connected to your regular migraines.

And let us know how the doctor's appointment goes.

Also... if you at any point feel any new type of pain that you have NEVER felt before and would describe as "the WORST pain EVER" then please go to the ER right away or call 911... and then will give you an MRI there right away... that is the biggest type of headache emergency... most other things can wait for a regular appointment with your doctor... but most other things SHOULD STILL get checked out by a doctor!! it's important to be seen by a professional! :)