Everyone has had a headache at least one time in their life. These can range from a mild ache in the head to a pounding migraine that causes us to vomit and prevents us from doing much of anything with our day. As fibromyalgia sufferers, we have to deal with these headaches even more, because it’s just yet another common symptom of the disorder. Why are they so closely related? And what can we do in order to relieve this frustrating pain? Let’s take a closer look.
Why Does Fibromyalgia Cause Headaches?
There are a variety of reasons that fibromyalgia can end up causing headaches for the sufferers of this disease. The most common reason, as you may expect, is because our bodies are so tense with pain all of the time. When our bodies are tense, our entire body suffers from it, and as a result, we get pain in areas that may not even actually be affected by the fibromyalgia otherwise.
Our spine ends up carrying a lot of our tension, which is why we end up struggling with pain in our shoulders, neck, and yes, even our heads. Headaches will come along without any warning at times, just because our bodies are always so tensed up.
Another reason that we may have headaches is because of all of the side effects that we can have as a result of the fibromyalgia. For example, if we are dealing with dizziness or we have issues with “brain fog,” we may also have headaches alongside of those symptoms. Why? Because mental fatigue can sometimes end up resulting in headaches and other pains in the head, neck, and shoulders. It can be frustrating, because we’re already dealing with enough pain, why do we need headaches as well.
Trigger points can also end up causing us a lot of pain in our heads. Have you ever hit your hand off of something, or landed on your rear end, and the pain shot right up into your neck and caused you a headache? That’s the same sort of thing that ends up happening if you hit a trigger point.
Everyone has different trigger points when they are dealing with fibromyalgia; the most common ones are around the shoulders, on certain parts of the legs, the temples, and the elbows. There are others, of course, but the shooting pain that we end up feeling as a result can cause severe headaches and, in some cases, migraines.
If you have any history of injuries, you want to make sure that those are kept in check as well, especially if you have ever had whiplash during your lifetime. Injuries of the neck, shoulders, and head (even if it’s been a long time since the injury occurred) can make it so that you get headaches more easily and/or more often. Pair that up with fibromyalgia and you’ve got the formula that makes it a lot more likely that you will be fending off headaches on a regular basis.
Lastly, let’s take a quick look at another common headache cause that many fibromyalgia patients have to deal with on a regular basis – TMJ (“Lockjaw”). TMJ is when the jaw locks up (hence the other name we know it by) and makes it so that our face is clenched.
Because of how tense the entire body is with fibromyalgia, it makes it so that TMJ is a lot more common in people suffering from the disease. Since TMJ is in the jaw, it’s close to the head, and the constant tension that occurs as a result of the issue will also cause tension in the temples, thus resulting in tension headaches.
These aren’t the only reasons that one with fibromyalgia could get headaches – sufferers could also end up dealing with headaches just like everyone else does. Allergies, colds, the flu, and any other number of ailments can result in a headache.
The issue is when the headaches become migraines, or when they are happening so often that the sufferer doesn’t seem to be getting any relief from the headaches at all. When that’s going on, you want to make sure that you figure out what is going on, and do so quickly. It’s likely the sign of a bigger issue, so you want to get it dealt with appropriately.
What Can We do to Reduce Headaches for Fibromyalgia Sufferers?
Thankfully, there is a lot of self care that we can do in order to reduce the headaches that we are dealing with on a regular basis. Many people with fibromyalgia will suggest that you do the same things you would do to reduce the pain in your muscles. You can try using aromatherapy, you can get massages or physical therapy, or you could take a warm bath or shower. All of these help to reduce tension, which helps to reduce the severity and/or frequency of headaches.
Your specialist can also be a huge help when it comes to taking care of your headaches. Many times, they will prescribe different medications in order to help you cope with it a bit better.
Muscle relaxers are commonly used by those who are suffering from fibromyalgia, because by releasing the tension in the muscles, you will find that you are much more relaxed and, as we mentioned above, your headaches will not be as common and they will not hurt as badly.
Headaches (and other aches) can be a real pain, so it’s important to know how to prevent and even deal with them. If you have fibromyalgia, it’s even more important that you understand where these are coming from and what you can do in order to reduce the frequency and the severity of headaches.
If you have frequent headaches, there may also be something else going on, so as always, make sure that you are keeping in open conversation with your specialist – only they can help you to deal with these sorts of pains in an effective manner.
Further reading:
Headaches http://www.nfra.net/fibromyalgia-headaches.htm
Fibromyalgia And Chronic Headache http://www.headache-help.org/fibromyalgia-and-chronic-headache
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