Migraines after cycling

Ballard

sazaccount said:

Do you wear any eye protection when you ride? My migraines are very light sensitive, eg triggered a lot by the sun. I use a good pair of polarised sunglasses whenever I'm outside, it especially helps on the bike (I do short 15-20 minute rides around the block at the moment) as well as stopping/limiting the wind and pollen getting into my eyes. 

Thanks for your reply. I wear photochromic glasses which get quite dark so they are as protected as I can get. It's a good point though. I might switch to wearing my prescription sunglasses in future as they are slightly bigger and obviously always dark.

I did 25 miles/2 hours yesterday and had no ill effects and I plan to add another 5 miles next time and see if that is also fine.

Fen1

Go to a proper chiropractic or osteopath to see about your neck. Remember that the whole body is connected, so a stiff neck may actually be a symptom of problems elsewhere in the body. For example, a misaligned jaw will pull on the neck muscles; uneven hips will cause stress all the way up the spine. Get proper advice and treatment. The massages might be temporarily nice, but they are not fixing anything.

Ballard

Fen1 said:

Go to a proper chiropractic or osteopath to see about your neck. Remember that the whole body is connected, so a stiff neck may actually be a symptom of problems elsewhere in the body. For example, a misaligned jaw will pull on the neck muscles; uneven hips will cause stress all the way up the spine. Get proper advice and treatment. The massages might be temporarily nice, but they are not fixing anything.

Oddly enough I had just started seeing a chiropractor prior to the lockdown and had also had one Pilates session. I will restart when things reopen.

tealady

Ballard said:o

Fen1 said:

Go to a proper chiropractic or osteopath to see about your neck. Remember that the whole body is connected, so a stiff neck may actually be a symptom of problems elsewhere in the body. For example, a misaligned jaw will pull on the neck muscles; uneven hips will cause stress all the way up the spine. Get proper advice and treatment. The massages might be temporarily nice, but they are not fixing anything.

Gosh yes , that reminds me of a friend who had niggling intermittent back pain.
They went to a chiropractor who sent them to casualty, as they had disc problems which needed urgent (ie same day) surgery.
As the song goes "the leg bone is connected to the hip bone" so an all over check up should (hopefully) get to the bottom of the problem.

powerspowers

@Ballard this is very interesting! Are you still struggling with migraines after cycling?

I sometimes have migraines after cycling and I’d blamed dehydration and lack of caffeine. Mostly given up caffeine now so shouldn’t be that. I agree could be neck tension. 

I’m hoping to cycle more. Will have to keep an eye on whether it increases migraines. 

Chiropractor is meant to be good and I intend to go back once out of lockdown. Mine is still open but I don’t feel it’s essential for me to go. 

nyermen

tealady said:

As the song goes "the leg bone is connected to the hip bone" so an all over check up should (hopefully) get to the bottom of the problem.

I thought it was - "The knee bone's connected to the... something.  The something's connected to the red thing.  The red thing's connected to my wristwatch!... Uh oh"
Ah no, that was the Dr Nick in the simpsons

But seriously - get it checked. There's lots of little signs eg. I have lower back pain, and the first question is always "do you have issues with your bladder", as that is a sign of a herniated disc.

Indigo_and_Violet

powerspowers said:

I sometimes have migraines after cycling and I’d blamed dehydration and lack of caffeine. Mostly given up caffeine now so shouldn’t be that. I agree could be neck tension. 

I haven't been through the whole thread but I did notice at one point OP said they ruled out dehydration because they drank plenty water. If you're sweating a lot you also need to replace salts.
If I'm running for more than 2-ish hours (depending on temperature and pace) I'll supplement plain water with sports drink (homemade or power pre-mix) or salt tablets (expensive but easy to carry when running). I had a late August ultramarathon and got crippling headaches 2-3 hours after long runs in the heat. They stopped entirely once I got a bit more conscientious about salt as well as fluid. 

Ballard

Thanks. I make a point of regularly drinking water whilst I'm on the bike even when I don't feel thirsty and do get through a lot so I really don't think that that's the answer.

One thing I have changed in the last few months is ensuring that I sit up straight when watching tv etc. and think that this has helped. My neck used to be very very tense and I'm putting this down to sitting reclined slightly resulting in tension in my neck muscles as I effectively look down towards the television which became the norm. Since I've stopped doing that it's clear that my neck muscles are much more relaxed. I haven't been out on the bike anything longer than 2 1/2 hours so far this year but didn't have any issues with that distance so I'm hopeful that I will see a difference when I do go further. Maybe it's not the answer I'm hoping for but I feel an idiot for not thinking of it sooner.

I've got a problem with my left hip instead now but that's another story!