Some people experience a “runner’s high”, which is a feeling of euphoria and relaxation that lasts for a short time. Running can cause headaches for some people.
Researchers first described exercise or exertion-related headaches in 1968. They can occur during or immediately after intense physical activity, such as heavy lifting, sneezing or running.
Exertion headaches can vary in severity from person to person. However, they are usually characterized by a pulsating sensation on both sides of your head. This is often compared to a migraine. They can last from a few seconds to a couple days. Some people experience multiple headache episodes.
There are still few scientific studies on exertion headaches, despite the fact that they affect anywhere between 1% to 26% of adults and up to 30% of teenagers.
It could be that they aren’t painful enough to stop people from exercising, or they stop when people stop exercising. Or they may overlap with other headaches like migraines and so people are treated instead for them. They could be more common than you think.
In studies that have involved a small number of people, headaches of this type are most common among people aged between 22 and 40, although they often begin before 30.
In these studies, men were also more likely than women to have them. They accounted for about 80% of those who took part. It will take more research to determine if men are more likely than women to suffer from them, and if so, for what reason.
Why they happen
Exercise increases blood flow to our brain to ensure that it has enough oxygen for us to move. This also means that our brains have to expel more CO2 and heat. Our blood vessels stretch to cope with this and can cause pain.
Exercise can trigger headaches for some people due to their different anatomy and physiology. For some, exertion headaches are caused by certain conditions.
Exercise in hot weather can be an example. The brain runs at a higher temperature than the rest the body and cannot dissipate the heat through sweating. It can only get rid of heat by increasing blood flow through the brain.
Exercise can increase brain temperature even more, as hot and humid weather increases the temperature of the brain. This causes blood vessels to swell to cope. This could explain why some people get a pulsating headache only when they exercise in hot weather.
The warmer the weather, the more likely they are to occur.Voronaman/Shutterstock
Exercise at altitude can also increase the risk of headaches. This is because the blood’s oxygen-carrying ability is reduced at altitude. This means that more blood must be sent to the brain in order to provide all the oxygen needed, causing swelling and pain.
People with a family or personal history of migraine headaches may also be more prone to exertion-related headaches. This is because the same changes which cause migraines, such as changes in blood vessels size, are also responsible for exertion headaches.
How to prevent them
Exercise headaches will disappear shortly after stopping. It usually takes an hour or so for the headache to disappear, once your heart rate drops and there is less demand for oxygen in the brain.
If your headache is also caused by dehydration, you will need to replenish your fluids before it goes away. This usually takes three hours.
Over-the-counter pain medication, such as paracetamol and ibuprofen, may help if your symptoms persist or if your headache is especially painful. If you suffer from exertion headaches often, you may want to talk to your doctor about prescription drugs that can reduce symptoms and even prevent these headaches.
You can also do things to prevent headaches due to exertion.
Exercises that are strenuous after a period of inactivity can cause headaches because your cardiovascular system may not be able to cope.
It’s important to ease yourself back into exercise if you’ve not exercised in a while. Warming up slowly each time you exercise will help your circulatory systems cope with changes in blood flow and pressure.
It is also important to stay hydrated. This will ensure that the blood vessels in the brain can function properly. Resting enough will help your brain to function at its best, and you’ll feel less pain.
Exercise headaches can be annoying, but they shouldn’t stop you from exercising. This is especially true in warmer weather, when they are more common. Avoiding hot days and altitude, as well as a gradual warm-up, can help reduce your risk. Try other forms of exercise that do not maintain a high heart rate, such as weightlifting or yoga.
I’m a personal trainer – these are the three moves you NEED to know to beat any back or neck pain
Sitting at a desk or driving all day is terrible for your neck and back, experts say
But taking regular breaks, relaxing and stretching your muscles can help
By Rebecca Whittaker For Mailonline
Updated:
Sitting at a desk or driving all day is awful for our posture and can leave us in total agony with crippling back and neck pain.
Fortunately for millions of us, there are some very basic things that can be done to prevent any discomfort.
This, as we’ve been told for years, can include taking regular breaks from sitting in the same position and spending less time looking down at your phone.
But, according to London-based personal trainer Dr Darren Player, there are also a few simple exercises that can help.
Dr Player, a lecturer in musculoskeletal bioengineering based at University College London, has now shared how to do them with MailOnline.
These simple exercises can help the discomfort of neck and upper back pain. The moves involve keeping the head in a neutral position, rotating the neck and strengthening upper back muscles
The exercises involve keeping the head in a neutral position, rotating the neck and strengthening upper back muscles.
Beginners should perform six to eight repetitions of each with a 60 second break — repeated up to three times.
This can be increased to eight to 10 repetitions for up to five repeated sets, suggests Dr Player.
He said: ‘These exercises can be completed multiple times a day, and importantly during breaks where posture has been fixed for an extended period.
‘Perform the movements slowly and only move within a range of motion that is comfortable. If you experience any pain, stop immediately.’
Neutral posture
Simply standing in a neutral position can help ease your upper back and neck, according to Dr Player.
Start by standing with your feet hip-width apart and focus on relaxing the shoulders and holding your head in a ‘neutral’ forward position.
Take regular breaths and try practice this simple move multiple times a day.
Dr Player said this will relax the muscles after posture has been fixed for an extended period.
‘You should not be sitting in a fixed position for more than one hour at a time. Factoring in rest breaks and moving around will help to reduce muscle tension,’ he said.
Neck rotations
Rotating your neck, especially when you are sat stooped staring at your phone for long periods of time, can help relive you of pain.
There are three types of neck exercises that Dr Player recommends: neck rotation, neck flexion and extension and a lateral flexion.
For the neck rotation, turn the head slowly from left to right, to the point where you can just see over your shoulder.
The neck flexion and extension require you to lower your head down so you come close to your chest and then raise your head to the position where you can see mainly the ceiling or sky above you.
For the lateral flexion, move the ear towards the shoulder on one side before slowly rotating to the other side.
Complete these neck rotations for six to eight repetitions with a 60 second break before repeating three times, says Dr Player.
But just spending less time glued to your phone can also help.
He said: ‘Simply reducing the time we are on our devices and adjusting how we look at them can have immediate impact.
‘If you are on your device, try to elevate it so you are not having to strain your neck to look too far down.’
Shoulder squeeze
You can ease upper back pain by increasing muscle strength and flexibility.
The shoulder squeeze works the central muscles of the back, opens the chest and helps improve posture, says Dr Player.
To do the move, raise your arms to in front of you and to shoulder height, then bend the elbow so the arms are at 90-degree angles.
Then, imagine you are squeezing an orange between the upper part of your shoulder blades.
Hold it in the squeezed position before returning and repeating the move.
Back memes are on point. One of my favorite memes? One of my favorites? Ouch.
I haven’t found a funny meme about the physical therapy costs that come with back pain. It’s probably because it’s not funny to lose money in a fight that you feel you can’t possibly win but are forced to continue fighting.
Lower back pain is a common reason people visit the doctor. It’s also a major reason why they miss work. Yet, treatment options can be disappointing. Even after years of endless appointments, exercises and no days off, my back still hurt. People told me that back pain comes with age, but I just couldn’t give up. There had to be a way for me to feel better again, right?
***
Since I turned 30, I’ve been experiencing the usual back problems of someone who spends a lot of time hunching at a desk. The real problem started just before the pandemic when I injured my back while dancing. I’m a terrible ballroom dancer and this added to my embarrassment. After my first bout of stabbing lower back pain, I struggled to stand straight for the next few days. I knew that back pain usually resolves itself within four to six week so I decided to wait it out. I self-administered the recommended salves and stayed active.
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My back began to heal over the next few weeks, as the pandemic spread. Then came the delta wave lockdown, which left us housebound for a solid five months. The lockdown was necessary to stop the virus but my back pain returned due to the fear of the pandemic, and the inactivity. My back seemed to be saying all the selfish things that my rational mind was afraid to say: “Yes, yes, I am one of the privileged few in this situation, and yes, it’s making me miserable, and I’m losing the plot.”
I didn’t realize that my back pain was causing this misery at the time. Tawny Kross DPT, physical therapist with Kross Centered Care, North Carolina, says that when pain becomes chronic, looking at muscles and joint may not be enough to solve the problem.
“The cumulative effects of emotional and psychological pressures, not just physical demands, can show over time,” says Kross. He cites things like work issues, relationship problems, trauma, depressions, bad sleeps, bad weather, a cough. Stress can manifest in the body when it builds up. Dr. Kross says that pain, fatigue or panic attacks can be a sign to reduce the stress on your nervous system.
My back pain did, however, not end with the long lockdown. I was willing to spend money on the problem and made an appointment with an osteopathic physician. He had a friendly, open demeanor. I liked him immediately. He told me that I had a slightly shorter leg than the other and a slightly misshaped spine. Apparently, the imbalance had built up over time. This was what caused my current problems. He also told me that I was probably hypermobile, which can cause aches and discomforts to come and go. He gave me an exercise routine that I could do in the morning and at night. “Do it even after you’ve drunk,” he told me, making me feel understood.
The brilliant, expensive osteopath did not take insurance. After seeing him, my back felt great. But after a while, I started feeling resentful. Am I supposed to spend so much money just to be functional?
I felt almost stupid when I went to another doctor. (One that I didn’t need to pay an entire paycheck to see). This feeling was justified when she told me that back pain happens to everyone as we age. She asked me if I had pins and numbness in my legs. (I didn’t.) “Do you have bowel regulation?” Sexual dysfunction? (All good.). In a tone that was a bit too cheery for me, she said it was “one of those” things and told me to go to Pilates.
Lauren Lobert Frison DPT of APEX Physical Therapy, Michigan, explained that discs in the back do shrink and thin, which can cause irritation and pain. This is especially true if your muscles are weak. “But just because your back has degenerative changes or arthritis, doesn’t mean that you will have pain,” she says. “Aging is normal. What’s not normal is if it becomes debilitating.”
“Aging is normal. What’s not normal is if it becomes debilitating.” –Lauren Lobert Frison, DPT
Dr. Lobert Frison suggests finding a doctor who won’t make you hopeless. “Using words that make people feel that their body is fragile and that there are things they can’t do […] promotes disability mindset. The research shows that this only makes things worse.
This is because the body may become overly sensitive to pain after an injury. Your body may sound the alarm if you injure yourself while bending down to the floor. This is even if the injury has healed. Dr. Lobert Frison says that this doesn’t mean that you don’t feel pain, but rather the pain is lying to you. The good news is that by moving slowly and carefully you can teach a body that’s afraid to move to feel safe again.
I was on my way out when I got a referral for physical therapy. I figured it wouldn’t hurt to look around. This guy was not like my charming osteopath. He had the energy of a CrossFit trainer mixed with a school nurse. After testing my reflexes using a small hammer he spent the following 20 minutes forcing me to do exercises straight from gym glass. I still have stress nightmares about gym class, which is why I was having this dream in real life.
The exercises were effective, but I began to feel that my back was living a life of it’s own. The pain would come and then go in a manner that seemed unrelated to the things I was doing.
I became increasingly frustrated by my inability to find my way in the dark. I felt petulant until one morning I woke up without having done any of my exercises. The day turned into a whole week, then two and three. I felt increasingly angry at my body because it wasn’t functioning properly. Stopping would be a break from pain, if not failure.
Dr. Kross says, “If you want to make your body do something and it doesn’t behave the way you would like, you can see it as betraying you.” She explains how overachievers might feel the need “to push through” while their bodies are screaming for them to slow down. Dr. Kross warns against blaming the body: “It is less that it betrays you and more that it is trying to love you.”
It’s more likely that the body is trying to love you. Tawny Cross, DPT
Unsurprisingly, I was in a worse condition than ever as a result of feeling at war with my spine. Desperate, a friend recommended I see another physical therapist. She spent an hour examining both my hips and back, asking me to bend, balance and move my toes. She determined that my L5 vertebrae was the likely culprit. She used her hands and elbows to dig into my hips. Then she gave me a small ball and showed how to massage myself. I told her I was frustrated, and she understood that I wanted to feel in control. I left her office with a simple directive: “Move yourself.” Any movement.”
Agency! Self-reliance! What a concept. For the first time since years, I didn’t need to do any exercises. This freed me up to think about what it was I wanted. I’ve always been a fan of yoga, but I was told that it would not give me the strength I need. But it was what I wanted to!
So I did. It felt great. The weeks that followed brought me a wonderful surprise: my back started to improve.
***
My original back injury occurred over three years ago. It should be healed. My body may be holding on to the pain because of fear or stress. Or it could be a slip disc.
Dr. Lobert Frison warns against MRIs when it comes to non-specific lower-back pain: “There are many people with terrible MRIs who don’t even have back pain.” She says that there are also many people with MRIs which look good but have terrible back pain. The cause and effect of this is not always clear. New research shows that the treatment path is not always obvious, either. It’s good to know that no matter what your MRI shows, you are not doomed to a lifetime of pain.
I do yoga every day now because my body loves it. I use a therapy ball to work my muscles and sometimes I do the exercise the osteopath prescribed. I use a backpack rather than a handbag and I do not work in bed. I walk to places. I began swimming outside last summer and continued to do so through the winter. The cold water soothes my back, as well as everything else. The quality of life is much better. I still carry Ibuprofen, but I use it less.
It’s not perfect, but now that we are on the same team, it’s a different story. I listen to my back instead of thinking it’s trying to kill me. It will tell me to rest sometimes, and it will tell me to move other times. Instead of sighing, I ask, “What kind movement would feel good now?” and then I do it.
Summary: Summer treats can often lead to the dreaded ‘brain freeze’.
Researchers say this sudden pain is the brain’s reaction to a rapid cooling inside the head. It triggers an increase in blood flow to warm the area back up, and the resulting sudden expansion of blood vessels is interpreted as pain.
Fortunately, consuming cold items more slowly or warming up the roof of your mouth can help alleviate these frosty headaches.
Key Facts:
‘Brain freeze’ is a sudden pain in the head due to rapid cooling and the brain’s subsequent response to warm up the area.
The sudden expansion of blood vessels in the roof of the mouth, triggered by the brain’s warming response, is interpreted as pain.
While unpleasant, ‘brain freeze’ isn’t harmful and can be avoided by consuming cold items more slowly or warming up the roof of the mouth.
Source: Virginia Tech
Summer brings picnics, outdoor barbecues, and poolside lounging, but also brings the not-so-pleasant things that harsh the fun vibes, such as ants, mosquitos, and sunburns. Even sweet, cooling delights like ice cream and carbonated slushies can deliver an unpleasant surprise — the dreaded “brain freeze,” a sudden, splitting headache.
But what is a “brain freeze,” and how can we enjoy a refreshingly cold treat without having to endure one? Virginia Tech neuroscientist Kristofer Rau explains the science beyond these quick-onset headaches and how to avoid them — or at least make them go away faster.
Q: What is a “brain freeze” and what causes it?
“‘Brain freeze’ or ‘ice cream headache’ is the occasional intense pain you feel in your head when drinking or eating something that is very cold. One important function of your brain is to make sure that certain areas of your body remain in specific temperature ranges.
Credit: Neuroscience News
“Your head is particularly important, so the normal response to a cold stimulus inside the head is to try to warm that area back up. It does this by rapidly increasing the flow of warm blood through the blood vessels in the roof of your mouth.
“This sudden expansion of blood vessels is sensed by nerve cells, but unfortunately the brain interprets the rapid expansion as something that is painful.”
Q: Why does it hurt so much?
“The suddenness of the expansion in the blood vessels causes a burst of activity in the nerve endings in the roof of your mouth, and that intensity is interpreted by the brain as something that we really need to pay attention to and do something about immediately.
“Most of the regular headaches that we get are also caused by changes in the size of our blood vessels that are similarly detected by nerve endings, but these are more gradual changes.”
Q: How harmful is a “brain freeze”?
“Although pain is highly unpleasant, it is your brain’s natural way of making sure that we protect our body, even though in this case a temporary cold stimulus is not going to cause any actual damage. A ‘brain freeze’ is not harmful and should go away within a few seconds to a minute or so.”
Q: What can you do to counter a “brain freeze”?
“Everyone is susceptible to getting a ‘brain freeze’. If you do get a ‘brain freeze’, you can either drink something that is room temperature, or you can push your tongue against the roof of your mouth to quickly warm the area back up. You can also decrease the chance of getting a ‘brain freeze’ by eating or drinking cold items more slowly, so that your body has time to adjust.”
Q: How can you avoid one altogether?
“The only way to completely prevent having one altogether is to avoid consuming anything that is cold. Summer without ice cream and popsicles seems quite sad though, so it is probably worth the risk of the occasional ‘brain freeze’.”
About this neuroscience research news
Author: Mike Allen Source: Virginia Tech Contact: Mike Allen – Virginia Tech Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
You may experience lower back pain when you are driving. You can reduce irritation and pain by adjusting your seat, using lumbar supports, and applying topical creams.
Driving can make chronic back pain worse. Driving for long periods of time can also cause back pain.
Sitting on a couch is better for your body than driving.
Your muscles stiffen when you are in the same position relative for a long time. You may also be concentrating on the road or the traffic around you. This can lead to muscle tension. You also lack the lumbar-supporting pillows and cushions that you would normally get.
It is possible to reduce your back pain while driving. You can avoid discomfort by making small adjustments and using tools.
Driving for long periods can cause your back to become achy. Sitting positions put pressure on the back muscles and ligaments. The pressure from a poor driving posture or slouch can worsen pain.
Driving can be mentally exhausting, and cause stress. This can lead to tension in the shoulders and neck, causing pain and ache.
Use these tips for a stress-free driving experience, whether you’re a long distance trucker, weekend road warrior or commuter.
You can use lumbar support pillows or cushions to relieve back pain when driving.
Lumbar support cushions support your lower back or lumbar area. This relieves some pressure from your spine. Degenerative conditions such as osteoarthritis or spinal stenosis can cause pain and stiffness, especially among older adults, in the lumbar area.
The lumbar support cushion fills the space between the lower back and the seat. This will help you maintain a good driving posture. Lumbar support cushions can also reduce lower back pain and alleviate pain that radiates down the legs.
If you don’t have any lumbar support cushions with you, roll up a towel to place against your lower back.
You can find the best angle for your back by experimenting with the position of your seat. You can adjust the tilt by moving the seat up and down and moving it forward and backward.
Position your seat so that your spine is straight. Even if you lean back slightly, your spine can remain straight. Sit with weight evenly distributed on both sides. Your thighs should rest flush against the seat. Your knees should be slightly lower than your hips.
Try to keep your elbows slightly bent. You don’t need to sit too far back to overextend your arms in order to reach the steering. You don’t want to have your seat too high as this can cause you to slump over or be hunched while driving. This can cause your neck to be twisted at an uncomfortable angle.
Seat adjustment can be affected by the size of your vehicle. Compact cars that are not big enough to accommodate your height might have too little headroom. This makes it difficult to sit up straight. Avoid small vehicles for long trips if you are tall.
By adjusting the height of the steering wheel, you can relieve pressure on your neck and spine.
Your arms should not be stretched forward when you pull your steering wheel towards you. This will reduce the strain on the muscles in the neck, shoulders and upper back.
Try holding the steering wheel in the 9:00 a.m. or 3:00 pm positions on long trips instead of the 10:00 a.m. or 2:00 p.m. This position is preferred by many drivers, especially those who can rest their elbows and arms comfortably on the armrests.
Adjust your side and rear-view mirrors as well to avoid neck strain.
Heat can reduce pain by relaxing tight blood vessels. Heated car seats can help to loosen up tight muscles, reduce muscle cramps, and relax stiff joints by increasing blood flow.
Some heated car seats come with a massage function, which can provide soothing relief as well as reduce back pain.
If your car does not have heated seats, you can purchase a heated seat cover that you can install manually.
Flip-flops and high heels can not only make it difficult to drive safely, but they may also cause lower back pain. High heels and poorly fitting shoes can change your posture, affecting your pre-set adjustments.
Sneakers or other shoes with traction are the safest shoes for driving. Running sneakers or other shoes with cushioning can help absorb the vibrations from the pedals.
Topical pain relief can temporarily relieve back pain when driving. Back pain salves are available in a variety of sizes and shapes. They can provide a numbing, warming, cooling, or a combination.
Keep a roll-on salve that is easy to apply in your center console. This will ensure you have something on hand if the pain becomes too severe.
Some OTC creams contain ingredients such as cannabidiol, capsaicin and arnica. These may reduce swelling, muscle pain and stiffness. Some CBD creams include menthol to provide cooling relief. Some CBD creams may contain anti-inflammatory properties.
Talk to your doctor about a gel with diclofenac, which is available under prescription. Voltaren and other brands are examples.
You may prefer a pain-relieving patch that works for a longer period of time to a cream or salve. A patch applied to your back will provide longer lasting relief.
Heat patches can be used to relieve back pain, just like a mobile heating pad. They contain substances such as iron powder which activates when exposed to the air. They may also provide a more penetrating heat to ease tight muscles and expand blood vessels.
Lidocaine patches are also available for lower back pain. Lidocaine helps to numb pain so you don’t experience it as much. These are especially helpful for neurological pain like sciatica.
You can purchase heat patches at drugstores or at rest stops along major highways. You can buy OTC patches of lidocaine at a pharmacy or speak to a doctor for prescription strength options.
The patches can provide pain relief for many hours, making them useful on long drives.
Cruise control is not an option at rush hour, on slippery, winding or unsafe roads. If you can do it safely, using cruise may reduce back pain because you can change your leg position.
Put both feet flat on the floor, with knees bent. Rest your weight evenly on both of your feet. This will relieve pressure on your back.
Take frequent breaks while driving. Moving, stretching and walking reduces tension and stiffness, which can reduce back pain. Try yoga or stretches in a grassy place to relieve back pain.
Sitting for prolonged periods can cause swelling in the lower extremities. Walking can reduce fluid accumulation in the legs, feet, or ankles if you have edema. This fluid buildup may contribute to back pain.
Slouched shoulders, rounded backs and a rounded neck can cause constriction of blood vessels and nerve ends in the back and neck. This can lead to or worsen stiffness in the joints and cause muscle pain.
You may experience muscle spasms or stiffness if you remain in the same position for too long. Try to adjust your posture slightly in order to alternate pressure areas on your back. If possible, you can also alternate driving with a passenger.
Lifting heavy objects like suitcases, boxes, or crates can cause back strain. It can also tear the muscles, causing severe pain and injury.
Lifting properly is important if you have to lift heavy objects for your job or the weight of your suitcase. Lifting heavy objects is best done by squatting down and lifting with your legs instead of your back.
It can be difficult to stay hydrated while driving. It’s essential for your overall health and to reduce the risk of back spasms, leg cramps, and painful muscle pain.
Pack bottled water with low sugar or electrolyte drinks to avoid this. You can also stock up on fluids at rest stops.
Back pain is a common complaint. You can avoid back pain by taking simple steps when planning your trip. Take breaks while driving, use pain-relieving creams and stay hydrated. Stretching can be beneficial before, during and after a trip.
The 2018 Farm Bill removed marijuana from the definition of hemp in the Controlled Substances Act. The 2018 Farm Bill made hemp-derived CBD products that contained less than 0.3% THC legally available at the federal level. CBD products with more than 0.3% THC are still illegal at the federal government level because they fall under the legal definition for marijuana. Check state laws before traveling, as some states have legalized CBD. Keep in mind that FDA has not approved CBD products sold without a prescription, and that some products may have inaccurate labels.
Q: My husband desperately tries to decide whether to undergo radiation, surgery or careful monitoring for his localized prostate carcinoma. We know we can beat this cancer if we take the right decision. How do we decide? — Sheryl W., Lexington, Kentucky
A I can’t tell you what to choose — you should consult your oncologist to clarify your options. I can give you the latest information so that you and your husband can have a well-informed discussion with his doctor.
In January, Amanda Lenza’s head hurt. The pain radiated from the back of her head to the front of her face for five days. One day, she stood up, wobbled and suddenly experienced double vision.
“That really took me off guard,” the 32-year-old freelance ghost writer from Lorain, Ohio tells TODAY.com. “I started texting my husband. I was like, ‘This is really weird. I don’t think something is right.’”
Then she lost feeling on her left side. Her husband returned home and called an ambulance.
“I asked (the paramedics) pretty much straight to their faces, ‘Am I having a stroke because I feel like these are stroke symptoms,’” she recalls.
Every stroke symptom within 15 minutes
Lenza and her daughter were watching cartoons when she noticed her balance was off kilter. Then she started seeing two of everything. After she texted her husband for help, her symptoms worsened. She could no longer sit up and slumped onto the couch. Her speech felt garbled. When she tried to move her left hand, she couldn’t. Then her face drooped on the left side. When she got to the hospital, her symptoms peaked.
“I couldn’t speak at all,” she says. “I couldn’t move that side of my body at all … I started having trouble breathing.”
While watching cartoons with her daughter, Amanda Lenza experienced double vision and couldn’t balance without wobbling. Courtesy Amanda Lenza
Doctors in the emergency room performed a CT scan and noticed her vertebral arteries were blocked. To help, they gave her a “really strong clot buster,” a type of drug that breaks up blood clots clogging arteries that can lead to stroke. While that often helps, it didn’t for Lenza.
“I got worse, much worse,” she says.
Doctors sent her to Cleveland Clinic’s main campus via helicopter.
“I couldn’t really see straight or sit up, but I was cognizant,” she says. “All of my brain damage was in my cerebral cortex and pons (part of the brain stem) so, physically, it was affecting me. Mentally, I was still completely aware.”
She felt terrified and wanted to see her daughter. After the staff confirmed she was having a stroke, she worried she was going to die or never recover.
“I was just wondering how if I made it, how much of my bodily function would I get back? Would I ever be able to talk again? Am I going to be able to take care of my toddler,” Lenza says. “I was scared.”
Doctors rushed her into surgery to place stents in her vertebral arteries, the two arteries that run through the back of the neck to the brain. They could only open one. It’s rare for people to experience tears in both.
“The left one is completely blocked. It’s permanently damaged,” she says. “They put three stents into my right vertebral artery.”
After doctors took out her breathing tube, she could sit up and move and talk again. A day later she could get out of bed to walk, though it took time before she felt confident moving.
“It took me a couple weeks to re-learn how to walk completely,” she says.
Doctors wanted to understand why Lenza experienced a stroke at such a young age and discovered she has fibromuscular dysplasia, “which affects the main arteries in your body.” The National Institutes of Health says the condition causes unusual cell growth in the artery walls that contribute to the arteries contracting or bulging.
“Most people live with it and never know they have it,” she says. “ In my case, (my arteries are) too weak.”
Doctors suspect that a recent illness had contributed to Lenza’s problems, she explains. In early January, she had been sick for three weeks. She had been lying down and coughed hard with her head turned, which likely caused the rupture.
“It felt like a torn muscle in the back of my neck, which is why I ignored it,” Lenza says. “I would have never even thought that it was damage to my artery. I thought I just I tweaked something in my neck.”
Bilateral dissection and stroke
Experiencing dissection in both vertebral arteries is “unusual,” says Dr. Shazam Hussain, who treated Lenza.
“We have two arteries coming up the back of our neck called the vertebral arteries that go up to the back of the brain,” the director of the Cerebrovascular Center at the Cleveland Clinic tells TODAY.com. “(She had) tears on both sides, both on the left and the right. Basically, when we see these tears that occur in people’s blood vessels there’s probably somewhat of an underlying fragility to their blood vessels.”
Her doctors understood there might be an underlying mechanism causing her stroke and that’s how they found she had fibromuscular dysplasia. The tears in her arteries caused them to “collapse down,” which limits the blood flow to her brain. In most people, it occurs on one side so they’re still receiving some blood to their brain.
“Both tears restricted the blood flow, which resulted in … stroke,” Hussain says.
While they were able to open one side, the other will remained closed.
“(With one) providing blood flow … you’re fine,” he says. “The other side, it was already closed down. It wasn’t going to help her to try and open it — and it also increased risk.”
He says that when it comes to dissection people often experience a “very intense pain.”
“Most people feel that it is quite painful,” he says. “It’s unlike anything that they’ve really experienced before.”
Since her stroke, Amanda Lenza can’t carry her daughter, now 16 months old, like she used to or play with her as long. She started walking when Lenza was in the hospital and that little bit of independence helps.Courtesy Amanda Lenza
The symptoms Lenza experienced are typical of stroke signs. People should think of BE FAST when it comes to stroke. BE FAST stands for:
B: Balance
E: Trouble with vision, such as double vision, or loss of vision
F: Facial weakness
A: Asymmetry as in drooping or weakness on one side
S: Slurred speech
T: Time is brain
“In the situation of a stroke, a person will lose somewhere of about 2 million brain cells a minute,” Hussain says. “The faster you get to the hospital, the faster you get the two types of treatment.”
Life will look a little different for Lenza now that she’s experienced dissection. She can no longer ride a rollercoaster, she can’t hold her neck in odd positions for long periods of time and she shouldn’t strain to lift anything. But her brain should recover.
“The brain actually does have the capacity to heal,” Hussain says.
Relearning and recovering
Lenza estimates she’s regained “about 90% of her function.”
“I’m re-learning how to type on a keyboard without looking at my hands,” she says. “I don’t really have that connection between the brain and my hands now. My balance was a little off but that’s getting better progressively.”
She says she has a delay between her thoughts and speech, too. Still, she feels grateful she received treatment so promptly.
“If I hadn’t acted as quickly as I did, I don’t think I would be here anymore,” she says. “Time is so important with strokes.”
She hopes her story encourages others to take their health concerns seriously.
“Mothers tend to put everything else before them and don’t take care of themselves they way they should,” she says. “Paying better attention to my own body and being a little easier on myself in that regard is the new model.”
![Unraveling The Mystery Of Ice Cream Headaches – The ‘Brain Freeze Phenomenon’ – Neuroscience News 825706221773
Summary Summer treats can often cause the dreaded “brain freeze”.
Researchers believe that this sudden pain is caused by the brain’s reaction when the temperature inside the head rapidly drops. It causes an increase in blood circulation to warm up the area, and the sudden expansion of blood vessel is interpreted by the brain as pain.
These headaches can be relieved by eating cold foods more slowly or warming the roof of your lips.
Key Facts
Brain freeze is a sudden pain that occurs in the head as a result of rapid cooling. The brain then responds by warming up the affected area.
The brain’s response to heat causes the sudden expansion of blood vessel in the roof of your mouth. This is perceived as pain.
Although it is unpleasant, brain freeze is not harmful. It can be avoided by eating cold foods more slowly or warming the roof of your mouth.
Source: Virginia Tech
Summer brings picnics and outdoor barbecues. But it also brings ants, sunburns, mosquitos and other unpleasant things. Even sweet, refreshing delights such as ice cream or carbonated slushies may cause an unpleasant surprise – the dreaded ‘brain freeze,’ a sudden, splitting migraine.
What is a brain freeze, and how can you enjoy a cool treat without having to suffer one? Kristofer Rau, a Virginia Tech neuroscientist, explains how to avoid these headaches or at least make the pain go away faster.
Q: What causes a “brain freezing”?
The ‘ice-cream headache’ or “brain freeze” is a sudden, intense pain in the head that you experience when you drink or eat something very cold. Your brain has an important job in ensuring that certain parts of your body are kept within specific temperature ranges.
[embedded content]
Credit: Neuroscience News
“Your head is important. The normal response to a cool stimulus inside your head is to try and warm that area up again. This is done by increasing the flow rate of warm blood in the blood vessels on the roof of the mouth.
“This rapid expansion of blood vessels was perceived by nerve cells but the brain interpreted it as something painful.”
Q: Why does it hurt?
The suddenness of the blood vessel expansion causes a burst in activity in the nerve ends in the roof of the mouth. This intensity is interpreted as something we need to pay attention to immediately and do something about.
The nerve endings can detect similar changes in blood vessel size, but they are more gradual.
Q. How dangerous is a “brain freezing”?
“Although the pain is unpleasant, it’s your brain’s way of protecting our body. Even though a temporary cold stimulus will not cause any damage, in this case. A ‘brain-freeze’ is not harmful, and should subside within a few minutes or seconds.
Q: How can you counter a “brain-freeze”?
Everyone is susceptible to a “brain freeze”. If you get a “brain freeze”, you can either drink a beverage that is at room temperature or you can press your tongue against your roof of mouth to quickly warm up the area. You can reduce the risk of a “brain freeze” by eating or drinking cold foods more slowly so that your body adjusts.”
Q. How can you avoid a snare?
“The only way you can completely avoid having one is to avoid eating anything cold.” It would be a sad summer without ice-cream and popsicles, so the risk of a ‘brain freezing’ is worth it.
This neuroscience news is about
Author: Mike Allen
Source: Virginia Tech
Contact: Mike Allen – Virginia Tech
ImageThe image has been credited to Neuroscience News](https://www.americanchiropractors.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/unraveling-the-mystery-of-ice-cream-headaches-the-brain-freeze-phenomenon-neuroscience-news-768x512.jpg "Unraveling The Mystery Of Ice Cream Headaches – The ‘Brain Freeze Phenomenon’ – Neuroscience News 825706221773
Summary Summer treats can often cause the dreaded “brain freeze”.
Researchers believe that this sudden pain is caused by the brain’s reaction when the temperature inside the head rapidly drops. It causes an increase in blood circulation to warm up the area, and the sudden expansion of blood vessel is interpreted by the brain as pain.
These headaches can be relieved by eating cold foods more slowly or warming the roof of your lips.
Key Facts
Brain freeze is a sudden pain that occurs in the head as a result of rapid cooling. The brain then responds by warming up the affected area.
The brain’s response to heat causes the sudden expansion of blood vessel in the roof of your mouth. This is perceived as pain.
Although it is unpleasant, brain freeze is not harmful. It can be avoided by eating cold foods more slowly or warming the roof of your mouth.
Source: Virginia Tech
Summer brings picnics and outdoor barbecues. But it also brings ants, sunburns, mosquitos and other unpleasant things. Even sweet, refreshing delights such as ice cream or carbonated slushies may cause an unpleasant surprise – the dreaded ‘brain freeze,’ a sudden, splitting migraine.
What is a brain freeze, and how can you enjoy a cool treat without having to suffer one? Kristofer Rau, a Virginia Tech neuroscientist, explains how to avoid these headaches or at least make the pain go away faster.
Q: What causes a “brain freezing”?
The ‘ice-cream headache’ or “brain freeze” is a sudden, intense pain in the head that you experience when you drink or eat something very cold. Your brain has an important job in ensuring that certain parts of your body are kept within specific temperature ranges.
[embedded content]
Credit: Neuroscience News
“Your head is important. The normal response to a cool stimulus inside your head is to try and warm that area up again. This is done by increasing the flow rate of warm blood in the blood vessels on the roof of the mouth.
“This rapid expansion of blood vessels was perceived by nerve cells but the brain interpreted it as something painful.”
Q: Why does it hurt?
The suddenness of the blood vessel expansion causes a burst in activity in the nerve ends in the roof of the mouth. This intensity is interpreted as something we need to pay attention to immediately and do something about.
The nerve endings can detect similar changes in blood vessel size, but they are more gradual.
Q. How dangerous is a “brain freezing”?
“Although the pain is unpleasant, it’s your brain’s way of protecting our body. Even though a temporary cold stimulus will not cause any damage, in this case. A ‘brain-freeze’ is not harmful, and should subside within a few minutes or seconds.
Q: How can you counter a “brain-freeze”?
Everyone is susceptible to a “brain freeze”. If you get a “brain freeze”, you can either drink a beverage that is at room temperature or you can press your tongue against your roof of mouth to quickly warm up the area. You can reduce the risk of a “brain freeze” by eating or drinking cold foods more slowly so that your body adjusts.”
Q. How can you avoid a snare?
“The only way you can completely avoid having one is to avoid eating anything cold.” It would be a sad summer without ice-cream and popsicles, so the risk of a ‘brain freezing’ is worth it.
This neuroscience news is about
Author: Mike Allen
Source: Virginia Tech
Contact: Mike Allen – Virginia Tech
ImageThe image has been credited to Neuroscience News")
