Hi everyone, I'm new here and have a question or two. I have been having one-sided neck and head pain (including migraine type pain) off and on for the last few years, but it has gotten a lot more frequent and severe lately. Every time I have the neck and head pain I also have shoulder, arm, and even hip pain all on the one side. I finally got an MRI of my C-spine last week and found out today that I have a moderate herniation at C 4-5 and mild to moderate herniation at C 5-6. My question is, does anyone else have head pain/migraines as a result of herniated cervical disks? My doctor told me before the MRI that my head pain is most likely not caused by anything relating to my neck or disks, but it just seems like it is all related because every single time my head hurts so does my neck, shoulder, arm, and hip. Can anyone else relate? Or should I just believe that the headaches have nothing to do with my herniated disks?
Hi, iv suffered from a hernated disc for the past 16months. The biggest thing iv learn from doctors is to always trust ur own judgement. Doctors are wrong a lot of the time. I was told by numerous docs that my spine was fine n it was purely muscular. I worked a heavy lifting job for a year because I thought my muscles were just playing up and didn't think it was something server. It wasnt til I had left this job coz of the amount of pain I was in that I then saw a private physio who diagnosed me with a hernated disc in my tharasic area. Now because I worked on that for so long I now suffer disc problems in my neck, upper back and lower back. Always trust ur own judgement ur more than likely right.
I have a lot of neck problems now, I suffer from neck compression. Sometimes I feel it goin up into my head, if I push them muscles at the back of my head I feel it more. To me it don't feel like a headache, but everyone is different. I mean last week the back if my head was going numb wen I was laying on it. Was very strange. Ur spine supports ur entire body and I experiance symptoms everywhere, right down to my knees. Do as much research about it as u can, write it down n bring it to ur doctor, he probably isn't half as clued up as he makes out.
Hope this is of some help
Last edited by Clo88; 10-29-2010 at 05:55 AM.
Reason: Words mis-spelt
I've had neck pain on & off for several yrs now along with shoulder & arm pain and headaches that started from pain in my neck. The pain started in my neck, then through the day, I would get headaches that went up the back and sides of my head. These types of headaches always corresponded to my neck pain. I can tell you that they are most certainly due to my neck problems. I have joint hypertrophy at C2-C3, disc bulging at C3-C4 and a very large herniation at C5-C6. I also have arthritis in my neck with loss of the neck curvature. This has caused all sorts of pain and nerve problems for me.
I should say that apart from this, I also get migraines, but they are not related to my neck at all. The migraines feel different as well. The headaches from neck problems start in my neck area and the pain works up the back of my head and turns into a tension-like, more generalized headache, and sometimes even affects the back of my eyes. My migraines are caused mainly by light glares and patterns, cause more of a one sided more severe, nauseating pain.
So, yes, neck problems can definitely causes headaches, but I'm not sure if neck problems can be the cause of migraines.
Sometimes severe headaches can be a result of a CSF (spinal fluid) leak. If your disc material has punctured the dura, it may be leaking. The headache would ease up as you lay flat, but would get worse sitting or standing.
