kim, given the headaches are one sided, it's almost a guarantee that the problem is related to your neck or back (unless you have one eye a lot worse than the other - and the headache would get worse as you used the computer and things)
i would suggest getting yourself to a chiro - it will be exxy for a while cos you have 12 years of history since the stair incident to work out - and your muscles and spinal allignment will be VERY stubborn and reluctant to move. you'll likely need at least weekly appointments for a while until the joint that is impacted starts to move properly. i was in a car accident in grade one and had headaches like you describe up until year 11 when all the "traditional" medical options were exhausted and i went to a chiro. it took a couple of months (i won't lie) to get to the point where i wasn't NEEDING the appointments every week, but i went from pretty much every day having a headache that was crippling me (not good in year 11) to getting a nasty one every 4-8 weeks. since being pg, with the relaxin, everything has fallen in a heap again and it's really nasty again so i'm back to weekly visits, but i'm able to stay on top of it most of the time and i know it's a short term thing
get thee to a chiro hun. get recommendations locally (you don't want a "bone cruncher" you want someone that also works with a physio if you can) - your injury may be related to muscle damage in your shoulder (i have that too - lucky me!) and torn muscle that hasn't healed, even though it may not hurt at all now, can link in to headaches as well.
good luck getting treatment - if you were further down this way i'd send you to Mark - he's my miracle worker! even a very "anti-chiro" friend caved when i hassled him enough - he'd been having headaches for years - and is headache free now after probably 5 years of them thinking he may have had a tumor due to the pain!
My headaches were the same & I was put on a few medications to treat them.
Firstly I was put on an epilepsy medication that I can't think of the name right name (will come back to it later). The idea was that it stopped the muscle spasms that were causing the headaches. I was also put on Cipramil which is an anti anxiety medication as my headaches were stress related.
After a few months I weaned off them & all was good. This was not long before I conceived Alexzander and then I had the same issue when he was around 6 months old. Both times it worked within a week & all was good once I stopped taking them. I started getting headaches again just before we started IVF with Juliette, but because I couldn't go on the medications again I made sure that I was very aware of what was stressing me & tried to combat it before I had to go down the medication route again. So far so good I am managing fine without the meds & it's been three years since I've been on them
I also am a chiropractor fan. I started getting really bad headaches at uni that I would have to go to bed at 6:00 and just sleep them off. Unfortunately it was never a good sleep and I was still tired the next day. I was given migraine medication that I couldn't take more than 2 per day, 5 times a week and I had to write it all down so I wouldn't go over - and the meds didn't always work.
The doctor sent me for allergy tests that didn't show anything. The dentist said I did a bit of grinding but it wasn't severe.
Then DH suggested a chiro. I was going twice a week for about a month, then weekly for a few months, now I just go once a month unless something flairs up. I used to be a tummy sleeper and that was doing awful things to my neck. I now can go months without a headache. I can feel them coming through my upper back and neck when they do, mine are also triggered by not drinking enough, not eating regularly and driving. Going to the chiro keeps it all in check.
I also went to a massage therapist yesterday who suggested a lot of neck strengthening exercises which I am going to try as well.
So get yourself a good chiro. Some will just lie you down and crack, others will give you a massage for 20mins beforehand to loosen everything up. Ask around, see if any friends have tried it.
If you have private health cover, chiro visits should be covered. We get about $28 back out of a $55 fee.
If you're in the market for a chiro I would recommend someone who uses Sacro-Occipital Technique (SOT), Total Body Management (TBM) or Applied Kinesiology (AK) as these techniques are generally the gentlest. Someone who does cranial adjustments may also help as I know when I get a headache which sounds similar to what you've described, I know my "brainbox" is out of shape!
My dad's a chiropractor and I'm probably bias, but he's THE BEST! A few people we know in Melbourne (including me of course!) reckon he's worth the drive to Daylesford for treatment. Cheaper than city chiros too! But probably not once you factor in the petrol prices
BellyBelly Life Subscriber & MPM
But probably not once you factor in the petrol prices
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