Message from discussion
Killer Headache While Lifting
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From: m...@cup.hp.com (Matt Yamamoto)
Newsgroups: misc.fitness
Subject: Re: Killer Headache While Lifting
Date: 28 Mar 1995 02:51:56 GMT
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S. Lovely (slov...@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu) wrote:
> Sometimes when I begin lifting -- right when I begin, usually with bench
> presses -- I get a very sudden headache. Does anyone know what might be
> causing this? I've been lifting for some time now, and am in excellent
> overall physical condition. I don't get the headache when I begin running,
> for instance, or doing other aerobic stuff -- just lifting. I don't think
> it's dehydration or anything like that. Could it be that there's suddenly
> a lot of blood rushing to my head? Do I need to do a more thorough warm-up
> (usually I just stretch)?
I'm not sure you are having the same problem I had, but I experienced a
similar thing when doing squats. Toward the end of a set of (high
intensity) squats I would get this pounding headache. I went to see a
sports doctor and he couldn't figure out what was going on. With the
help of some misc.fitness readers, I figured out that the problem was
improper breathing during weightlifting - specifically, holding my
breath on the positive movement. Attached is an explanation I received
from another misc.fitness reader on why improper breathing causes a
headache.
-matt
-------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 05 Feb 1994 16:19:05 -0400
Subject: Re: Headaches from lifting weights?
...
I ended up seeing a friend (who also happens to be a neurosurgeon) about
them the day after I posted. He asked me a few questions and
immediately hauled me into the hospital for a CT scan and a lumbar
puncture, both of which are routine for this problem.
I also got an explanation of what happened, and what could have
happened. You are correct about the breathing being the cause. When
you hold your breath while straining on a hard lift, you cause the blood
pressure to increase in your skull (also known as the valsalva maneuver,
which fighter pilots use to prevent blacking out during high g-force
turns). The increased blood pressure causes the wall of some blood
vessels in the head to stretch and this irritates the blood vessel
lining. Since these blood vessels are surrounded by a sheath of neural
cells, this sheath also gets stretched and irritated (hence the
headaches). This irritation presents itself in a form of inflammation,
which takes several weeks to heal. In a few (less than 5%) of the
cases, the blood vessel may rupture slightly, which can be extremely
dangerous, or even fatal. Hence the need for a CT scan and a lumbar
puncture to detect any blood in the cerebro-spinal fluid.
I was not allowed to return to the gym, or do any exercise, until I had
two weeks headache-free. The headaches are not expected to return as
long as I continue to breath properly while lifting. I was urged by my
friend to do lighter weights (and higher reps) for the first few weeks,
and slowly build back to my regular routine over a 1 1/2 month period.
...
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