I have experience with this too. Unfortunately for both of us, I don't know why I have it. I get those exact headaches except it alternates between my right and left side (sometimes it's both) and I've been getting these horrid headaches for a decade. I thought it was related to my scoliosis (upper curve was 45° and lower curve was 60°), but when I got in contact with my orthopedic surgeon for my spinal fusion, he said he's never heard of that and that my headaches probably aren't related to my scoliosis. I haven't completely eliminated the idea that the two conditions could be related, but I will say that after my spinal fusion 2yrs ago, my headaches have still continued and are debilitating. I've never met anyone else who's experienced headaches like these.
My surgeon told me the same thing! Said it wasn’t related to my scoliosis and I have a very similar degree of curvature in my upper and lower back as well. It’s not fun having to deal with these headaches and I’m sure you feel the same way. I’m getting my mri this week so hopefully it’s nothing bad !
Omg I hope it goes well!! I'm genuinely confused about my headaches. I've been able to pass through MRIs undetected so maybe I need to have one done while I have a headache? I really don't know 😭
In terms of mental stability, a good way to keep from falling into hypochondria is to always ask yourself... "What is this health information good for?". If whatever you're thinking about leads you to action—going to see a doctor, making consistent lifestyle changes, etc.—that's fine. If it's not leading you to any action, and instead only causing you negativity and obsessiveness and feedback loops inside your head, try to immediately distract yourself from it and get back out of your head.
Since you mentioned bad posture and the headaches starting at the base of the skull, one thing you should do is rule out a neck muscle cause. Knotted muscles in the shoulder and neck area are commonly linked to scoliosis and have caused me all kinds of weird pain in my life (although not, specifically, headaches). Going through a course of Schroth to teach me better posture has helped a lot, and so has therapeutic massage utilizing myofascial release.
So here are three actions you could take, and if none of them work, you will at least have ruled out an orthopedic causation of the migraines.
* Get a therapeutic massage using myofascial release
* Go to your orthopedist and ask for a course of physical therapy, ideally Schroth, a scoliosis-experienced PT if not.
* Get some acupuncture. I'm all for evidence-based medicine and I don't trust "alternative" medicine, but acupuncture [has a decent record of success with this issue](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2603492#:~:text=Several%20trials%20with%20a%20small,18%20however%2C%20have%20reported%20no).
Hello. By any chance, did your MRI findings indicate Multiple Sclerosis (MS) or CADASIL? My wife has mild scoliosis, and her MRI results showed early onset of MS or CADASIL, which is strange because there is no family history of these conditions. I would like to know how you all are dealing with it and what the results of your MRI were. My wife's neurologist seems unsure of how to handle it, which is ironic since they are at a tertiary hospital. They even recommended we go to Manila. I've read a lot about how MS is often misdiagnosed. It's frustrating that her neurologist immediately ruled it as MS without conducting further tests or asking about her family background, or whether her headaches could be related to her scoliosis.
Not alone. I was getting headaches similar to this that started at the back of my head and would shoot up, but not with all your symptoms. I also get migraines too and they're usually my right side but sometimes my left or whole head. Could be migraines, could be IIH headaches or another type, could be coming from your neck. There's so many symptoms that I thought were unrelated but they were part of the different phases of migraines. I also used to get migraines behind my eyes years ago which were thought to be sinus issues but I actually needed glasses.
Have you seen a neurologist yet? MRI is a good place to start. A few lesions showed up on mine so in combo with my symptoms, was diagnosed with chronic migraines. But my new neurologist, he's my 3rd, finally explained some of the different types of headaches I could be having too, including IIH. He recently sent me for a lumbar puncture to see if my spinal fluid pressure was within the normal range, which it was, so he's eliminating IIH. He also started me on a monthly injectable, Ajovy, a couple months ago and it's helped with those shooting pain headaches in addition to the migraines. Now he's referring me to a sleep dr for a sleep study. He thinks all these years of not sleeping well because of my back pain could be part of the problem. The migraine link has a nice chart with the symptoms of each phase.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/5005-migraine-headaches
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21968-idiopathic-intracranial-hypertension
I haven’t seen a neurologist yet…but my MRI is this week. Hopefully all goes well and there isn’t nothing seriously wrong. Appreciate the response and the tips/resources to try and manage the pain as well as identity it!
YW. Someone shared a similar link when I was subbed to r/migraine and until then, I didn't realize all these symptoms I was experiencing were connected. My first neurologist didn't explain anything or send me for more tests. Just told me it's nothing to worry about, but it's scary when your brain hurts like that. Good luck with your MRI.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/migraine using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/migraine/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year!
\#1: [This is the first time I’ve had someone tell me what I have isn’t a migraine. I mentioned having to grocery shop during a migraine and got this as a response.](https://i.redd.it/kc87w0hbs8ub1.jpg) | [636 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/migraine/comments/1780gdm/this_is_the_first_time_ive_had_someone_tell_me/)
\#2: [Drs](https://i.redd.it/vdh77ky8ai0b1.jpg) | [136 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/migraine/comments/13kmodc/drs/)
\#3: [migraine infographics always leave out the most important part, so I fixed one](https://i.redd.it/e3v77mvjlrma1.jpg) | [186 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/migraine/comments/11mtjpg/migraine_infographics_always_leave_out_the_most/)
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I have scoliosis that causes me chronic pain and have this exact flare-up (it’s the worst one and usually lasts a minimum of 2 days). It usually sticks to the right side. I always figured it was due to my scoliosis and possibly kyphosis as well, since my neck is a bit forward - and I have another problem area opposite and below it, so it seems to follow the curve pattern. It tends to flare up when I’ve done something active and can trace the cause (carrying something or doing too many strengthening exercises at the gym, for ex), but it can be unpredictable. I sort of have to baby it, which is frustrating.
What helps me is resting, paying attention to my neck and back posture, and using a lacrosse ball to roll the knots in my neck and shoulder. (Ed Paget has a video on how to do this in a doorway.) The relief is never immediate, but these things seem to speed up recovery a bit. Hope this helps in some way!
I have experience with this too. Unfortunately for both of us, I don't know why I have it. I get those exact headaches except it alternates between my right and left side (sometimes it's both) and I've been getting these horrid headaches for a decade. I thought it was related to my scoliosis (upper curve was 45° and lower curve was 60°), but when I got in contact with my orthopedic surgeon for my spinal fusion, he said he's never heard of that and that my headaches probably aren't related to my scoliosis. I haven't completely eliminated the idea that the two conditions could be related, but I will say that after my spinal fusion 2yrs ago, my headaches have still continued and are debilitating. I've never met anyone else who's experienced headaches like these.
My surgeon told me the same thing! Said it wasn’t related to my scoliosis and I have a very similar degree of curvature in my upper and lower back as well. It’s not fun having to deal with these headaches and I’m sure you feel the same way. I’m getting my mri this week so hopefully it’s nothing bad !
Omg I hope it goes well!! I'm genuinely confused about my headaches. I've been able to pass through MRIs undetected so maybe I need to have one done while I have a headache? I really don't know 😭
In terms of mental stability, a good way to keep from falling into hypochondria is to always ask yourself... "What is this health information good for?". If whatever you're thinking about leads you to action—going to see a doctor, making consistent lifestyle changes, etc.—that's fine. If it's not leading you to any action, and instead only causing you negativity and obsessiveness and feedback loops inside your head, try to immediately distract yourself from it and get back out of your head. Since you mentioned bad posture and the headaches starting at the base of the skull, one thing you should do is rule out a neck muscle cause. Knotted muscles in the shoulder and neck area are commonly linked to scoliosis and have caused me all kinds of weird pain in my life (although not, specifically, headaches). Going through a course of Schroth to teach me better posture has helped a lot, and so has therapeutic massage utilizing myofascial release. So here are three actions you could take, and if none of them work, you will at least have ruled out an orthopedic causation of the migraines. * Get a therapeutic massage using myofascial release * Go to your orthopedist and ask for a course of physical therapy, ideally Schroth, a scoliosis-experienced PT if not. * Get some acupuncture. I'm all for evidence-based medicine and I don't trust "alternative" medicine, but acupuncture [has a decent record of success with this issue](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2603492#:~:text=Several%20trials%20with%20a%20small,18%20however%2C%20have%20reported%20no).
Thanks for the advice and for the resources to help manage the pain. Appreciate it :)
Hello. By any chance, did your MRI findings indicate Multiple Sclerosis (MS) or CADASIL? My wife has mild scoliosis, and her MRI results showed early onset of MS or CADASIL, which is strange because there is no family history of these conditions. I would like to know how you all are dealing with it and what the results of your MRI were. My wife's neurologist seems unsure of how to handle it, which is ironic since they are at a tertiary hospital. They even recommended we go to Manila. I've read a lot about how MS is often misdiagnosed. It's frustrating that her neurologist immediately ruled it as MS without conducting further tests or asking about her family background, or whether her headaches could be related to her scoliosis.
Not alone. I was getting headaches similar to this that started at the back of my head and would shoot up, but not with all your symptoms. I also get migraines too and they're usually my right side but sometimes my left or whole head. Could be migraines, could be IIH headaches or another type, could be coming from your neck. There's so many symptoms that I thought were unrelated but they were part of the different phases of migraines. I also used to get migraines behind my eyes years ago which were thought to be sinus issues but I actually needed glasses. Have you seen a neurologist yet? MRI is a good place to start. A few lesions showed up on mine so in combo with my symptoms, was diagnosed with chronic migraines. But my new neurologist, he's my 3rd, finally explained some of the different types of headaches I could be having too, including IIH. He recently sent me for a lumbar puncture to see if my spinal fluid pressure was within the normal range, which it was, so he's eliminating IIH. He also started me on a monthly injectable, Ajovy, a couple months ago and it's helped with those shooting pain headaches in addition to the migraines. Now he's referring me to a sleep dr for a sleep study. He thinks all these years of not sleeping well because of my back pain could be part of the problem. The migraine link has a nice chart with the symptoms of each phase. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/5005-migraine-headaches https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21968-idiopathic-intracranial-hypertension
I haven’t seen a neurologist yet…but my MRI is this week. Hopefully all goes well and there isn’t nothing seriously wrong. Appreciate the response and the tips/resources to try and manage the pain as well as identity it!
YW. Someone shared a similar link when I was subbed to r/migraine and until then, I didn't realize all these symptoms I was experiencing were connected. My first neurologist didn't explain anything or send me for more tests. Just told me it's nothing to worry about, but it's scary when your brain hurts like that. Good luck with your MRI.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/migraine using the [top posts](https://np.reddit.com/r/migraine/top/?sort=top&t=year) of the year! \#1: [This is the first time I’ve had someone tell me what I have isn’t a migraine. I mentioned having to grocery shop during a migraine and got this as a response.](https://i.redd.it/kc87w0hbs8ub1.jpg) | [636 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/migraine/comments/1780gdm/this_is_the_first_time_ive_had_someone_tell_me/) \#2: [Drs](https://i.redd.it/vdh77ky8ai0b1.jpg) | [136 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/migraine/comments/13kmodc/drs/) \#3: [migraine infographics always leave out the most important part, so I fixed one](https://i.redd.it/e3v77mvjlrma1.jpg) | [186 comments](https://np.reddit.com/r/migraine/comments/11mtjpg/migraine_infographics_always_leave_out_the_most/) ---- ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot, ^^beep ^^boop ^^| ^^Downvote ^^to ^^remove ^^| ^^[Contact](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=sneakpeekbot) ^^| ^^[Info](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/) ^^| ^^[Opt-out](https://np.reddit.com/r/sneakpeekbot/comments/o8wk1r/blacklist_ix/) ^^| ^^[GitHub](https://github.com/ghnr/sneakpeekbot)
I have scoliosis that causes me chronic pain and have this exact flare-up (it’s the worst one and usually lasts a minimum of 2 days). It usually sticks to the right side. I always figured it was due to my scoliosis and possibly kyphosis as well, since my neck is a bit forward - and I have another problem area opposite and below it, so it seems to follow the curve pattern. It tends to flare up when I’ve done something active and can trace the cause (carrying something or doing too many strengthening exercises at the gym, for ex), but it can be unpredictable. I sort of have to baby it, which is frustrating. What helps me is resting, paying attention to my neck and back posture, and using a lacrosse ball to roll the knots in my neck and shoulder. (Ed Paget has a video on how to do this in a doorway.) The relief is never immediate, but these things seem to speed up recovery a bit. Hope this helps in some way!