Hi. I get frequent headaches and migraines. But I noticed that usually what causes my headaches are the two nerves located at the right and left side of my neck. The nerves go up to the base of my skull. And those areas, the left and right side at the base of my skull, hurt very bad when I press on them.

Does anyone know what causes it? Has anyone experienced headaches caused by those two nerves? I would say 90% of my headaches are caused by those two nerves.

I don't have health insurance so I cannot afford to go around to different doctors asking them because it would be too expensive. What can I do?

From what I've been told at the headache center and from what I read, the neck and shoulder pain are caused by the migraine, not the other way around usually. There is a nerve that runs down to your neck called the Trigeminal Nerve (you can look this up) that becomes inflamed during the migraine process and this is also why a lot of people get sinus blockage and symptoms as well. If you take care of the migraines, this could also take care of the neck pain. I was also told that they can do Botox injections in the neck and shoulders to help prevent the pain, but it only lasts three months. Not sure if insurance covers it either.

No health insurance - don't worry. Breathing helps the body to cure itself without side effects. Do the following breathing exercises known as Yoga Pranayam and you will notice a gradual improvement.

Bhastrika - Take a long deep breath into the lungs(chest not tummy) via the nose and then completely breathe out through the nose.Upto 5 minutes daily.

Anulom Vilom - Deep Breath-in through left nostril keeping right nostril closed
then - Breath-out through right nostril keeping left nostril closed
then -Deep Breath-in through right nostril keeping left nostril closed
then - Breath-out through left nostril keeping right nostril closed
and repeat this cycle for upto 20 minutes twice a day(maximum 60 min/day).
Tips : Breathe into lungs not into stomach. Do not hurry. Do it slowly. Rest whenever needed (in any pranayam).Can be done in sitting position, standing or lying in bed(if bed-bound).Keep tissues handy, as a lot of mucous from lungs will be coming through the nose. Do the pranayam before eating.
Pranayam is about getting more oxygen into the lungs and sending it around the body via blood to aid in body repair. With extra oxygen more platelets and red blood cells are formed to build up the immune system.Extra fat is burned to reduce weight. All this happens naturally without side-effects.People with all types of ailments including incurable ones will benefit. This has been practised by sages, but has been simplified and brought to the masses by Ramdev.
Your pain will go down and disappear over time. Please keep a note of how much pranayam you do and after how how long you notice benefits. All readers will benefit. Any queries - do ask.

hollandlop, I get the pain in that area also. I have a bulging disk at C-3,C-4, I don't know if that contributes to it or not. My pain is a boring, burning type pain. I also get a pain right next to my nose near my eye, it has been bothering me for about 3 months now. I just got trigger point injections today in my neck and shoulder, it seems to help some. Does your face ever tingle?

Hi. I have been hearing a lot about these injections. But don't know how they work exactly. Are they expensive? I don't have health insurance.

I also heard about getting injections into your occipital nerves, which are located at the right and left side in the back of your head.

How often do you get these injections? And how long does the result last?

I get them every 6 weeks. They are rather expensive, my mom got them, she doesn't have insurance, it cost 500.00 for 18 injections, 9 on each side. She had this done, 3 times, every 6 weeks, thats because she has extensive arthritis in her neck, so it took longer to see an improvement. I seen it start feeling better in a few days. I had 9 on the left first, and the pain left, now today they did the right side, because it all shifted to the right now. They use lidocaine, and a steroid with B-12. Do you get facial tingling at all?

Most of my pain are located at both sides of my neck and the base of my skull. I don't feel pain on my face. But I do feel migraine pain on my forhead, right above my eyebrows and also in the back of my eye.

But my neck is the worst! It always hurts when I get a headache, and when I press on the 2 nerves in my neck, they hurt bad. What kind of doctor do you go see for this?

Hi there, I go to a pain center for the injections. A neuro for the migraines. The injections help though alot with the migraines and neck pain. Go to www.round-earth. com, under Myofascial Pain, and look at the trigger points and the areas that they affect, you may find it helpful. You can also google, Janet Travell. I do get forehead pain that seems to be right above the bridge of my nose and along side my nose, and also the pain behind the eye, sometimes its a dull ache, but ever once in a while a sharp stabbing pain. Hope this helps!!!:wave: