Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion Helpful Tips Are headaches usually related to AS?

Hey.....I first got on here and posted some questions because my son was dx with AS. Since then, I have tested positive for the B27 antigen with most of the symtoms of AS. My cousin has had terrible headaches for most of her life. She always thought they were miagranes, but she also problems with her neck. She also tested positive for the B27 antigen. She will be going to a RA Dr. Are headaches common with folks with AS?

Thanks!
Susan

I posted a similar question on here some time ago. I don't know that it is necessarily a symptom directly related to AS, but I use to have horrible headaches. They almost always occured when my neck and shoulders were very inflamed. Personally, I feel that my headaches are directly correlated with flares. Since going on the no starch diet, my headaches have gone away. The only time they have returned is when I have "cheated" on the diet and caused a flare.

Also, as I'm sure you are aware, just because someone has the B27 antigen present in their system does not mean they have AS. That is a "marker" indicating a high succeptibility to the disease. Your cousin's RA should be able to determine weather she has AS or not though.

I feel for you all though. I had thought that my headaches were migranes as well. They would often be so bad that I would become sick to my stomach and on several occasions did have the vomiting along with the headaches as well. In order to make them go away, I would usually take the strongest pain reliever I could find, then lay on my bed in a dark, quiet room. After a period of time the headached would sometimes go away...but sometimes it might continue for a couple of days. I still do not know for sure if it is directly related to AS, but at least in my mind, I associate it with the disease.

Best of luck to you guys!

Tommy

hi susan,

i've been getting migraines since i was about 8 years old. at first i really didn't know what they were, but over time, i did a lot of reading, and noticed what triggered them and made them better.

my migraine triggers are: hunger, sugar when hungry (rather than a real meal), hormones (PMS; nothing i can do about them, except ride them out and do things to lessen the pain), going from high stress to low stress (its only the next day that i'll wake up with the migraine, so i make sure i don't "crash" after a big event (good or bad), big deadline, etc), and traveling (i have some caffeine preventively and that prevents them).

my migraines make my whole head hurt, like its maybe going to explode, and when really bad, very nauseous.

light and sound makes them infinitely worse, especially the nausea. if i can go to a quiet dark place (or wear sunglasses if i can't), at least the nausea quiets down. ginger also helps with the nausea.

caffeine helps more than anything, as i don't drink it on a normal basis, use it more as a drug.

also, a good meal (protein/fat/complex carb), and some smells (like lavender) will help. i discovered the lavender before i read that it was supposed to help migraines.


i also get headaches related to my upper back, neck pain. but it is different. for me, its more one sided, as my left side is much worse than my right. the muscles spasm starting in my upper back, traveling into my neck, and then causing the occipital muscle to spasm. the occipital nerve runs through there and when it is irritated by the spasming muscles, it gives me a headache.

if i use ice and/or heat on my back and/or neck, i can quiet down that headache. also, mild stretching, or "squeezing" the back of my neck (gentle massage) will also help.

since the migraines started long before the musculoskelatal ones, i can tell them apart....though a cup of tea and a hot lavender bath in a quiet dark room will help them both.

sue

Thanks so much Sue!

I get two different types of headaches also. One is like normal migraines, the other seems to be related to AS. It feels different and usually lasts for days and does not respond most times to migraine medicines. Very frustrating to deal with! I found that going to a chiropractor helps these headaches. I don't have them very often now that I go regularly. Someone here did a post once on cervicogenic headaches with a link to a site that explained the difference between migraines and cervicogenic headaches. Since AS can cause problems with the cervical part of the spine, it would make sense that it could cause these different headaches that don't respond to normal migraine or headache treatments.

If I'm having a bad neck day (AS wise) I always get a really bad headache. The only thing that really helps these headaches are taking a muscle relaxer and falling asleep. I get other migraines (unrelated to AS) and Excedrine Migraine really helps those.
- Angie

I think it's really hard to tell because all/most people experience headaches regardless. However, headaches usually DO accompany pain. At the present state (mild flare), I have a dull headache and fatigue every day.

Hiya,

sorting out what is the exact cause or type of headache can be difficult, and you may have proper migraines and you may have some that originate from the AS as well.

I do n't think a normal migraine will last for days and days and go up and down.

If it's AS look for it worsening with a flare, and improving with the flare and AS medication.

Bad in the mornings and at night. Moving can help ( whereas with a mograine you want to keep really still because of the pounding )

The top most part of your neck provides nerves which go up into the rear half of your skull along specific tracks they often get irritated by the AS process, check out lesser and greater occipital nerves. When it's chronic you can trace them by the pain.

More rarely the trigeminal nerves get irritated these are primarily in the face but do extend further into regions near the occipital nerve branches. That in me has been the hardest one to diagnose as it's rare to get both occip and trig but when you check out where they both extend to and how swollen I get it's not exactly rocket science to work out why both may be irritated by the AS process.

To diagnose and treat chronic problems with these nerves

I've found typical migraine medication did not help,

I'm on tegretol which helps to a point, tramadol seems the best pain killer without hitting the opiates and anti-inflammatory.

I've had facet block injections which proved the origin of the neck pain but caused more problems than they fixed.

Just recently had some occipital blocks and they have helped heaps, although post injection swelling has been a problem, but I was pretty swollen before.

The headaches can wreck your life on top of chronic disease and you need to hunt for good medical support for them. Most Dr.s blame it on stress anxiety etc, but honest the pain from it is horrendous.

I few years back we had a good discussion on them and most found that getting an oral steroid course was the best way of dealing with the AS inspired ones.

Good Luck and I hope this helps

Dave

Headaches and migraines seem complex and varied in source, however, i know so many non-AS people whose headaches come from neck discomfort - these are generally totally solvable via a GOOD Osteopath with a neck and spine warm, rub, massage then straighten...
Migraines are unfortunately a possible problem for NSD/LSD advocates as they are triggered mainly by products of fermentation with cheese being the worst. The theory suggests that yoghurt and kefir and sauerkraut are likely suspects - i posted on this a year or two back...

yes, it is true that migraines can be brought on by certain foods in some people, but mine aren't, so sometimes yes, sometimes no.....it certainly is something to consider...they have lists of common food triggers....you can try to avoid them and see if it makes a difference.....

sue