6 ms·

Some headaches can easily be mistaken for neck muscle pain from sleeping in an awkward position.

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
swores 5y ago
If it feels like a headache... isn't it a headache? By which I mean, shouldn't that be "some headaches can easily not be realised to be caused by...", or is there gatekeeping needed in what is or isn't a 'headache'?
- koheripbal 5y ago
  Arguing about semantics is pointless.
  - dymk 5y ago
    Depends what you mean by “semantics” and “pointless”
- mjbeswick 5y ago
  Yes because a headache is a symptom.
- rory 5y ago
  This reminds me of D.A.R.E. talking about whippets in grade school. The speaker went on about "When you do whippets, you don't *actually* get high, your brain just *thinks* you're high..."
- muffinman26 5y ago
  I was told growing up that migraines were different from headaches, although it looks like now migraines are sometimes called "migraine headaches". The distinction mattered because the treatment for migraines (things that caused blood vessel constriction, like caffeine) and for other types of headaches (things that caused blood vessel dilation) were opposites, so if you took the wrong medicine it could make your head hurt more. For a first time migraine sufferer, the difference might not be obvious. That said, I'm not sure how either could be mistaken for neck muscle pain.
  - doubled112 5y ago
    The headache is a symptom of the migraine. I can have a migraine without headache. I'm still non-functional because of all the fun aura symptoms, but I'm not in pain.
  - wink 4y ago
    Yes, migraines are weird. I am kind of lucky in that mine are neither frequent nor as bad as those by others. For me it manifests as a headache in a distinct spot 9 out of 10 times and I get very sensitive to sound and light (auras are usually very light or not there at all, no nausea or puking). The good thing is that a) I can just take a mild dose of ibuprofen and b) go into a dark, silent room and sleep it off most of the time, on the other hand when I tried triptanes? that didn't work at all. Also I only have a few every year and not multiple times per month like when I was a kid or teenager. For me the difference is usually easy. If it's a headache-headache, it's annoying and you can function (even if it hurts). If it's a migraine then I simply can't work or do any fun thing anymore, not even watching something or reading.
arbuge 5y ago
Related: your office chair can make a big difference. I changed mine and have a lot less upper body pain now than I used to. Within a few days I noticed the difference - it was night and day.

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

If it feels like a headache... isn't it a headache? By which I mean, shouldn't that be "some headaches can easily not be realised to be caused by...", or is there gatekeeping needed in what is or isn't a 'headache'?

koheripbal 5y ago
Arguing about semantics is pointless.
- dymk 5y ago
  Depends what you mean by “semantics” and “pointless”
mjbeswick 5y ago
Yes because a headache is a symptom.
rory 5y ago
This reminds me of D.A.R.E. talking about whippets in grade school. The speaker went on about "When you do whippets, you don't *actually* get high, your brain just *thinks* you're high..."
muffinman26 5y ago
I was told growing up that migraines were different from headaches, although it looks like now migraines are sometimes called "migraine headaches". The distinction mattered because the treatment for migraines (things that caused blood vessel constriction, like caffeine) and for other types of headaches (things that caused blood vessel dilation) were opposites, so if you took the wrong medicine it could make your head hurt more. For a first time migraine sufferer, the difference might not be obvious. That said, I'm not sure how either could be mistaken for neck muscle pain.
- doubled112 5y ago
  The headache is a symptom of the migraine. I can have a migraine without headache. I'm still non-functional because of all the fun aura symptoms, but I'm not in pain.
- wink 4y ago
  Yes, migraines are weird. I am kind of lucky in that mine are neither frequent nor as bad as those by others. For me it manifests as a headache in a distinct spot 9 out of 10 times and I get very sensitive to sound and light (auras are usually very light or not there at all, no nausea or puking). The good thing is that a) I can just take a mild dose of ibuprofen and b) go into a dark, silent room and sleep it off most of the time, on the other hand when I tried triptanes? that didn't work at all. Also I only have a few every year and not multiple times per month like when I was a kid or teenager. For me the difference is usually easy. If it's a headache-headache, it's annoying and you can function (even if it hurts). If it's a migraine then I simply can't work or do any fun thing anymore, not even watching something or reading.

arbuge 5y ago

Related: your office chair can make a big difference. I changed mine and have a lot less upper body pain now than I used to. Within a few days I noticed the difference - it was night and day.