Female Posture Related Headaches

Transcription

1 Female Posture Related Headaches The Problem: Poor posture, slouching, even the weight from large breasts may cause continuous strain on neck and shoulder muscles Painful sensations especially when chronic can be felt in the scalp, eyes, temples, forehead, lower back of head and shoulders Female posture related headaches trigger and worsen other headaches including Tension Type Headache, Migraine and Cervicogenic Headache Headache is aggravated by poor ergonomics, stress, sleep deprivation and physical stress on neck or shoulder muscles Common Symptoms: Steady, non-throbbing pain in the lower back of the head, temples, scalp, eyes Pain often extends into the shoulder or between the shoulder blades Stiff neck Unrecognized muscle soreness areas in the neck and shoulders that don t hurt spontaneously feel pain when pressed on Symptoms worsen when bending forward - chin on chest Relief when lying back with good neck and shoulder support in a recliner In women with large or pendulous breasts (macromastia): - bra strap grooving - pain in the small of back - rash in the fold between the breast and skin of the chest - sore muscles in the front of the armpits

2 What Is Female Posture Related Headache? Chronic muscle strain in the shoulders, upper back, and neck cause Cervicogenic Headache. It is really a type of chronic sprain. Poor posture, large or pendulous breasts (macromastia) and bad ergonomics go unrecognized as one of the causes of chronic headache. If you have this type of headache you might identify with some of the following symptoms: Slouching posture Painful neck and shoulder muscles Relief when lying back in a recliner Pain in the small of your back Worsening of symptoms when leaning forward Pain when touching affected muscles If you have large or heavy breasts you may notice: Bra strap grooving Painful suspensory ligaments along the pectoral muscles in the front of your arm pits. Rash in the fold between your breasts and chest wall Pain when you push on your sternum See Cervicogenic Headache for related information.

3 What Can I Do? Sleep Avoid falling asleep while reading or watching TV unless wearing a neck splint. Otherwise your neck suffers - like falling asleep in an airplane seat Sitting wear a neck splint if you fall asleep on the couch or recliner or if you read in bed. Place a separate neck splint at each site to remind you to put it on before you fall asleep Pillows don t prop up pillows - use a single comfortable pillow to avoid bending your neck forward. If you are uncomfortable lying flat with a single pillow, elevate the legs of the head of the bed on 6-inch blocks to keep your head higher than your feet you ll breathe better Bed use a neck splint while sleeping. Leave it on your pillow to remind you to put it on Muscle Pain Ice - freeze trigger points or areas on scalp or neck that are tender to the touch Neck muscles use a neck splint while sleeping or falling asleep in a chair to prevent muscle sprain (similar to what happens to your neck when falling asleep in an airplane seat) Muscle sprain: - ice or heat to affected muscles - when sleeping elevate knees on pillows to relax long muscles that run up and down your spine - analgesics acetaminophen or non-steroidal antiinflammatories - massage and gently stretch tight and painful muscles as tolerated

4 Ergonomics Seating adjust seating so you can lean back to support your shoulders similar to sitting in a movie theater Desk use a chair without wheels so you can lean back without pushing away from the desk Keyboard - place it on your lap or at a lap level so you don t have to keep your arms elevated Telephone use a wireless headset. Don t hold the receiver between your ear and shoulder heads up! Foot rest use an angled foot rest to bend your knees and hips it helps relax long muscles that run up and down your spine Close Work don t bend over your work. Elevate your work to a comfortable level to take stress off your neck and shoulders i.e. sewing machine Driving- adjust seat close to steering wheel so you can lean back and support your shoulders. Keep arms on the bottom of the wheel to relax shoulder muscles Large or Pendulous breasts Bra use no-bounce sports bras Activity avoid jogging, bouncing that sprains your breasts Posture- shoulder supporting corset

5 What Can Your Healthcare Provider Do? Physical Therapy Strengthening exercises with or without pretreatment with corticosteroids Macromastia Evaluation by a plastic surgeon can be useful to see if macromastia is clinically significant and to see whether reductive mammoplasty would provide significant relief of headache and shoulder pain Occipital neuralgia Occipital nerve block Trigger point injections Many other neck structures may be the source of the problem nerves - discs, joints and muscles Medication Non-narcotic pharmacologic treatment to reduce chronic pain, improve sleep Alternative Treatment Modalities TENS (Transcutaneous nerve stimulation) Acupuncture Cognitive behavioral therapy to reduce stress Chiropractic if no contraindications exist such as pinched nerves or advanced age