Over the last 6 months and after a major op I have landed up with neck pain and popping when I move my head. The physio at the GP`s thinks I spend too much time on the PC. It is stress and as the day comes to an end and I settle down with my wife to enjoy some TV it often subsides. I have tried blue light blocking glasses but not much help. Over the last couple of days I have purchased some Kalms that did seem to help but today at the local wildlife rescue centre my neck really got bad and a bad headache came on. I tried some Nelsons Rescue Remedy that did help but as it wore off the headache came back and I was feeling like a zombi. I am 77 and have probably got some wear in my neck joints but I am convinced my neck is worse when I get tense and then it can bring on the pains around my head and sometimes a migraine. Any advice would be appreciated.
Neck Pain that causes pains around the eyes an... - IBS Network
Neck Pain that causes pains around the eyes and the head.
Feel free to disagree if you don't relate to this...but my IBS started as 'migraine' or so it was called by the neurologist. That was 4 years ago. It was a weird migraine, I got dizzy, neck pains, felt a bit nauseous, and got a pain over right eye and eyebrow area (and some other symptoms) In the 4th week I got what I now know is IBS-D, and which gets worse or flares whenever I feel the other symptoms. That time it went away but came back in 2020 and hasn't gone since.
The 'migraine' idea I found hard to accept at first as I wasn't aware of having migraine all my life. It felt more like a weird bug that just wouldn't go away,
But the more I observed things, I began to see links between visual disturbances (being dazzled and getting zig zag patterns in my vision) and when my ibs flared.
So I am now thinking it could be a kind of abdominal migraine, even though they say that's a childhood thing and I am 69!
Migraine and IBS are common to occur together apparently.
The neck pains were excruciating at times, then 5 minutes later would completely disappear!
The head /eye pains were so slight but dragged me down somehow. Then the gut would kick in.
That`s interesting, I have suffered on and off with IBS for years, I`ll look into that further, Thanks for coming back to me.
Interesting, I have had re occurrences of Optical migraine symptoms. Thats the onset of wierd optical disturbances, like zig zag lines which disturb just a quarter of my vision. I also tend to get them when Im stressed, its sometimes caused the "anxiety migraine", thankfully they disappear after 10 to 25 mins. Im always wary to notice any changes, just in case.
Yes, mine are like that. I just wish my gut didn't have to join in! The light display in itself is no problem and doesn't bring a headache. But around the time I get those visuals, I also get an upset gut. I think it's something to do with serotonin...either re-positioning itself from gut to brain or vice versa....too much of it in the gut.....or whatever :/
Your quite informed. Seratonon is a major part of the tummy workings, in a heat wave Seratonon levels get disturbed, as well as humidity and storms, I suffer from weather related IBS
I'm sorry you also get weather related symptoms. It makes me wonder if IBS is one of those "hypervigilant" illnesses, rather the same as migraine is supposed to be. Like the nervous system is on high alert all the time and that's what causes the problems?
I am not too bad during heatwaves (weird because I am not a fan of really hot weather) But grey heavy skies, muggy dark days get me, and thunderstorms even though I love to watch a storm. I love the energy of it. I love snow too, but when the thaw comes, that upsets my system.
There's ton of info out there on the influence of stress on neck pain. Those muscles just tighten up when you're stressed, and that causes pain. We've probably all experienced that. As for a solution, you can always take something stronger, make sure you're eating and sleeping properly, getting exercise, etc.
Kind of as an aside, I'm a little curious about what you might be consuming online. Personally, I know I've given up news sites before to help reduce stress.
There's a lot out there on computer use and neck pain as well. In fact, it's called "tech neck." I don't experience it myself, but I'm sure some of it has to do with ergonomics - i.e., how properly you're sitting, how your setup is configured, how much time you spend without a break, etc. Try googling it. Looks like there's more explanations and some solutions too.
Thanks, I have made sure my screen is set up as per expert advice and that helped. What with the way the world has been over the last couple of years and my Aorta op I make you right, we don`t watch as much news on the box as we did. I was more after whether or not taking things like Kalms is sensible. I have been through half a dozen different pillows and found one that seems to be the best for me (the days of snuggling down into two feather pillows is over now.) Thanks.
I injured my neck in a road accident 20 years ago and I've had similar symptoms on and off ever since. I've never managed to get rid of it but I've found loads of things that help.A good massage therapist or chiropractor should be able to relieve things. I go to a lady that does craniosacral therapy and that make a massive difference to me.
Yoga really helps. There are some really good, simple to follow and short videos on YouTube aimed at neck and shoulder pain relief that I've found work well.
Make sure your driving position and your computer position is correct. There's loads of really good advice online but basically make sure your neck, back and shoulders are in a neutral position. Also not staying in one position for too long helps. I make sure I get up at least once an hour and move my whole body to stretch out and relax my muscles. My work colleagues find it amusing but some join in and it's a good laugh.
Mindfulness and meditation really help with reducing stress and anxiety. If you've had a big op recently you might be anxious about your health without realising and it might be a good idea to work on relaxing a bit. I store my stress in my back and shoulders so reducing that helps ease the pain. Again there are good apps and videos available but anything that relaxes you is great. I love going to the sea or for s walk in the woods helps.
I've no idea if anything I've suggested will help you but I really hope you find some relief soon. It's a horrible feeling.
Thank you, I have my pc screen and chair sorted and have found a decent pillow and the Nelsons Rescue Remedy seem to be working today. Thanks for all the tips.
Hi, I get pains in my head like you, been having them for about 3 or 4 years now, maybe longer (times flys when you are having fun!). Anyway, I think mine might be Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJD). I have a theory that over 35 years of IBS has left me with Fibromyalgia and this has now given my TMJD also. There is a link between IBS/Fibro/TMJD. Perhaps you should google them to see if this maybe what you are experiencing. Feel free to ask me anything if you want. There is a Fibromyalgia site on HealthUnlocked, if you fancy taking a look at that. Also I belong to another site called Stuff the Works and they have a Fibro and TMJD site, you may want to take a look at those too. I believe these conditions are all linked via the vagus nerve!
Thanks for your reply, all noted.
Yes right, Maureen. I think TMJ irritates the trigeminal nerve, which messes with the brainstem which is responsible for lots of automatic functions like digestion etc.
I noticed just before I started with IBS I was waking up with my jaw clamped. I wasn't grinding my teeth. I had my teeth clamped down so hard on my lower lip I was biting through it! I did exercises to relax my jaw (I had never heard of TMJ in those days, or even IBS!) but it was hit and miss as to when I would wake up like that.
I have told my subconscious sleeping self that we are not going to carry on doing that. It was stupid, and 'don't you dare draw blood!' It worked in a way because now I wake up as soon as I start to chomp down.
I have ibsc but on an upset can be ibsd. Had it for 6-8 years. I have been suffering neck pain for quite a few years now. It is mainly at night when I put my head onto the pillow. It goes from my right shoulder right up to the top of my head on the right side. If I get my head into a wrong position I will get pain in my jaw or around my right eye. I mentioned this to my eye specialist and he tested me for Arteritis. It was negative and so he just shrugged his shoulders. I have told physios etc. but they don't say very much either. I have worked it out, it is having pressure on my neck. I have to move my head all night. From one side to the other tucking small pillows in at various points etc. I have had an MRI which showed wear and tear. I am 71. My latest physio has never touched my neck. All he does is apply a few electro pads around the neck and shoulder area. He leaves me for 10 min. I am usually sore the next day and I then I have a few more treatments over the coming week/s. I get relief for a few months then need to repeat the process. I find this really works for me. Taken a few years mind you. All it is doing I guess is relaxing the muscles. Maybe you could check this out. You could also buy these machines (called a tens machine in Australia) and have someone attach the pads for you. Save you the cost of physios. I have not associated this with ibs. I just think it is a part of the ageing process. Good Luck
Thanks all advice noted, my new pillow has helped, I`m ok if I sleep on my back but I sleep better on my right side so have to keep on trying different things. cheers.
OldTimer74 , could I ask which pillow you are now using? I have searched high and low for a pillow that might give good neck support, but cannot find anything that works more than a couple of months. Currently using a £100 Tempur 🤯 which is also beginning to go the same way.I have a 15-year old whiplash injury that flares up from time to time, producing the exact same symptoms that you described. I’ve given up going to physios, as they can’t find anything really effective, so it’s really a case for me of either preventing the pain or managing it when it occurs.
My daughter put me onto this on Amazon but I notice it`s not available at present but you can find it in other places. amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07... also put a dark blanket up at my bedroom window last night and slept better.
Super! Thanks very much, OldTimer74 .
Like Maureen, I think TMJD is responsible for the discomfort I get in my head, and while I don't think it gives me pain round my eyes, I do think it may affect my vision - at times when the connective tissue near my eyes is on the move I can feel it causing my vision to slip in and out of focus.
I was wondering whether the reason why your discomfort settles down when you watch TV might be because you sit in a sofa or chair with head support, whereas your head isn't supported when you're at the computer perhaps? I notice a huge difference in how free my connective tissue is to realign itself between when I sit at my computer, in a hard chair with no head support, and when I sit in a soft chair and lean my head back.
You could try gently rolling your head around a little while you're at the computer, and changing between sitting positions if you have more than one that's comfortable for you. I don't think it's too difficult getting in the habit of moving the head a little while reading or typing, instead of keeping it in a fixed position for long periods. Or getting a chair with head support. No guarantees, these are just things I find helpful.
Yeh, I sit in a comfy head support chair at night watching TV, I do move my neck about when on the PC. Thanks for your reply.
Oh gosh, I've had this and am pretty sure its overuse of devices, hunching shoulders, etc and tension. Mostly paracetamol didnt ease the headaches so I went for walks, did a little yoga, stood under a hot shower, drank more water, had a laugh with a friend. After 6-8 days it stopped. At one stage I thought it might be covid but had no other symptoms and RAT didnt show anything, well they dont for the first 4 days or so anyway.
Plus I've got arthritis in many parts of my body so its not surprising....had the visual disturbance of migraine at the beginning and nausea sometimes, came and went. I also thought it could be abdominal/stomach migraine, quite a collection of symptoms, seems a bit much to be just tension and stress.
Same here! I had an X-ray because of the shooting pains up into my skull. I have cervical and thoracic spondylosis and I have problems turning my head from side to side. Also I have a lot of crepitus....crunching and popping sounds...when I move my head. Have you thought about an X-ray? I'm 64 by the way....🙂
They won`t send me for an X ray, they say it`s wear and tear at 77. I don`t think it is anything really bad because I have good days and bad days. My bedroom faces west, at this time of year the sun comes up at 4am like a searchlight so I have put up a temp dark blanket and I am getting better and longer sleep which has helped a bit. What I noticed last night was the side arm on my specs was digging in hard on my temples and has over the years created a deep ridge, I took my specs off and the pain across my right eye eased a bit. ( there must be a nerve or blood vessel being compressed) I think the neck and the temple are all connected as far as pain goes so we shall see how it goes over the next few days. In fact I have worn specs all my life and have suffered from migraines on and off so maybe that ridge has something to do with things. So, now I have got to make something to hold my specs on away from that ridge. Thanks for coming back to me. BTW just overnight that ridge across my temple isn`t quite so deep.
I’m fed up of this ‘it’s your age’ excuse from the GP! Yes, I know I’m getting older but I don’t need reminding of it thank you....🙄😆I hope you find some relief somehow, whatever works for you I say....😗
ha, well When i met my wife after moving to Wandsworth in 93. I went to a great GP a woman from Poland, She talked about outside things and how our dog was rather than what I came for, but i found her bedside manner really helpful. I had this stiff neck for a while, I was 41. She actually told me at 41, "well your going to get things like this now at your age". But she was right, when we moved to Blackpool Fleetwood years later, I had such a bad neck, I was admitted for out patients therapy. to manipulate my neck bones and muscles. For just 30 minutes, i never felt so much actual pain from these exercises , actually breaking out in a sweat during the procedure. It did go away for some years, but returned somewhat in damp conditions rain, humidity. Gps I hardly see now, Im actually very annoyed with the NHS at this moment. I was sent an appointment to get my usual scans on my kidney, got a renal mass, that gets checked once a year, since 2017 its just some lesion. They sent me appointment for result, but chose a Sunday when hospital transport dont operate.
they sent another one in march, 6 days before going sent me a letter cancelling it. Sent me another in march, again, cancelled again. April came, again letter at short notice saying cancelled, no reason, just said we have to change the date, BUT hold on i have been waiting since Late February for the result. So I told them to forget it. Gps are lazy, I have a patch of red skin on my left shin, its patchy and sometimes itchy. I wanted an appointment to see my GP, wouldnt do it, just send a photo through this code, but I dont own a smartphone,had to get the wife to use hers. All i got back , it looks like Atopic Eczema. LOOKS!!, not is, or properly examined. I got a tube of cortisone cream and a moisturizer given, and that's as far as i got
😱
It's strange you should mention that Old Timer. My reading glasses have over the years made a ridge in my skull bone! But that is on the left side, and my head twinges were on the right side over my eye. I have often felt that ridge, it is just behind my left ear. I wondered if it could cause any problem.
I also use a thick curtain which I pin tight against my window, plus another thick curtain drawn across. I have found it does help my sleep, as it starts to come light before 4am at this time of year!. I also use Boots wax earplugs. I live in a peaceful country place with a lovely country lane 10ft outside my window. , But I get the morning rush hour cars whizzing byvery early a.m. and the farners tractors and grass collecting behemoths rattling past my house 10ft away from my head!! The earplugs have really helped me to sleep through it all.
I have fitted a soft tubular item on each of the specs arms that hold those arms away from the ridges. I don`t think the opticians take enough notice on the fit of our specs around the ears, it seems to be one size fits all almost. Our house sits back from the road somewhat ( a fairly quiet country lane) and my bedroom is at the rear but it does face west so I get that 4am early morning sun. My wife has the front bedroom but doesn`t seem to worry. (it`s ok btw we are still good friends but find a better sleep with more room to move around on our own) 
I loved going to a working farm years ago for 7 days B&B for a holiday. Near the Severn. Busy road nearby, but not too close. Used to watch a little owl (daytime owl, very small). Flitting down to ground from an apple tree, back and forth etc. I play farming simulator 19 on my ps4. Quite relaxing, using combine harvester then a baler, and lastly a long trailer to load the bales of wheat back to the farm barn. Sounds you live in a part the near country, your lucky, I live in a first floor tiny supported living flat. With main Warrington road outside. 230 emergency sirens every week ruins our peace. Have to book a B@B At your place, got any vacancies lol😁😁
Aww...I can imagine you miss the rural life, or at least semi-rural with access to town when needed? It's good to have supported living accommodation though, for many reasons.
Well, I have a spare bed which is apparently hell to get out of for those with no athletic prowess! So I am told. It sinks in the middle you see. I am no good at beds, and even worse at breakfast production.
You would probably be better off in a B&B run by actual real-life humans 
They refused an X ray
I feel your pain, I know I have cervical spondylosis (diagnosed), those shooting pains are quite scary sometimes, especially when i bend my neck down to look to read a small print book or adjust my watch etc, the crunching sounds are sure nasty, my wife can here it click from her sofa 2 feet away!!
Those tubular things you fitted on your glasses sound interesting. I am sure I could make something similar.
Some people don't seem to mind traffic noise when they sleep, and some can't bear light. We are all different. It's good your house is set back more from the lane. They use my lane as a bit of a rat-run for the people driving their 4X4's with children who can't ride bikes to school (like we used to do in the 60s)
My hubby and I had different bedrooms too. We had different night time habits! He was early to bed and got up to pee lots in the night. I was late to bed, and never peed once I fell unconscious However, I liked to listen to music on low volume in my room at 1 or 2 in the morning. But we loved each other loads for all our different ways.
wierd, Im also of advancing years and have always been a silver surfer on my new gaming computer at last for up to 5 hours a day and my tablet in living room another 5 hours, I have been getting really painful shocks or straining type back ache neck ache and slight head aches. I already have spondylosis (Anthric neck joint since 1995.} maybe This to blame.
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