I've been getting headaches on a daily basis as the result of tight muscles in my neck and shoulders.  This is work related and I've had my "work station" assessed and been given all sorts of fancy equipment for my desk but the problem is ongoing as the desk is much too high and a block to put under your feet is just a bandaid solution that doesn't provide me with releif.

Sorry if I am ranting but some days I am in extreme pain - my head is so sore that I feel overly hot and like vomitting.  Short of leaving the job there doesn't seem to be much I can do as the OHS officer is satisfied that my workstation is now suitably equipped.  I have been getting by taking Nurofen Plus on bad days and panadol on not so bad days - I hate having to take drugs but I would need to be bed ridden otherwise - particularly on the bad days.

Anyway, I do have a reason for posting all of this.  I was seeing a physio about this last year but ran out of credit on my MBF scheme - then it got too expensive.  Without taking away the cause of the problem the physio barely made a difference anyway.  (The only time I have felt relief since about October last year was at Christmas when I had two weeks off work).

Headaches are just part of life for me now... I am getting by as far as focussing and concentrating... and hope to wean myself off the drug reliance thing to get through the day.  But, what I am wondering - if this continues over several years will there be long-term damage caused?  If so, what?  On one hand I have to look after my body because I will need it to earn an income for the rest of my life - on the other hand, all jobs have their OHS risks and hazards... I will probably never find a perfect job in this regard.

Does anyone know of anything I can try besides applying heat and doing stretches (both of which I do regularly)?

(I hope this post isn't too far off topic - just know that there are some health conscious people here and that this forum is friendly... so I'd rather post here than at a forum somewhere that I have no history with)

Oh boy do i ever understand. I had headaches, chronic ones 24 hours a day 7 days a week for about 15 years. I took up to 20 aspirin a day just to get me through (they did a much better job than panadol ,nurofen and anything else, sadly after time they did nothing. I went for manipulative physio, worked well for a while, went to chiro, acupuncture, herbal medicine you name it i tried it. I used to get home from work everynight in tears because i just wanted it to go away and it wouldnt. Even had the dentist make me a bite plane because im a teeth grinder, again help for a while.
The funny thing is, I decided very late in life that I wanted my teeth straightened so I have orthodontic braces on and within about a month of having them on, my headaches went. i still get a few because of my neck and shoulders but i had to give up the tablet thing and now I am so much better. Obviously my bite was out of whack and that has made so much difference.
I guess sadly its not going to help you, but just to let you know it may not always be the obvious and something completely different to what you think is causing it. You may have to do like me and try everything in sight until you find the answer

I was getting alot of headaches and it was mainly caused by me clenching my jaw whilst I was asleep and during the day, my dentist made a plate for me to wear at night and my headaches have decreased
I also get sore back and shoulders(work related) some yoga stretches are great for this and accupressure massage is good too.
try to get off the pain killers as I believe that you can become reliant on them and they build up in your system and then don't work

Urg, i've had a constant headache for the last 10 months & nothing helps, i just have to ignore it.  Have you tried Imigran??  i was taking that for a while for migraines, it worked for a bit.

thats no good GG

Hi all, I sympathise for you all and can relate to the horrid suffering.
I too am a migraine sufferer, and the best thing I find is a hot shower, as hot as you can bear it on the head, neck, back and shoulders. After that, you massage TIGER BALM RED OINTMENT into the temples, across the forehead, back of the neck and shoulders
( better if someone else massages) The red one is the strongest, and intends to sting the skin, but I find it soothing and has been approx 90% success rate. In fact the temporary stinging helps distract the migraine pain. The strong smelly stuff contains - Camphor, menthol, cajuput oil, dementholised mint oil, cassia oil, and clove bud oil. It clears the nasal passages too. There is no animal ingredient, and hope to god it has not been tested on animals.
On top of that I take 3 -4 aspro clears.
I've tried many medications, remedies, and other deep heat creams and ointments, but I found this to be the most effective.
It's available in all supermarkets & chemists.
What have you got to lose, except for the top layer of your skin, just kidding, LOL.

Here's the site:
http://www.tigerbalm.co.uk/
Verifies that it's not tested on animals, nor contains animal ingredients.

http://www.tigerbalm.co.uk/intro.html
I'm quite impressed. Just learnt something new about this product. Please read what it supports by clicking onto each heading on the left hand side of this link.

yes tiger balm is great stuff, I used it alot when I used to suffer from alot of migraines, did you know migraines can be caused by hormonal imbalances Julie May?

Tell me about it Kristin!!  but I have had my hormone levels checked and is OK, but presently, think am going through the horrid menopause ( I think), so now on top of headaches, I'm experiencing the hot flushes, daytime sweats, and worst of all is the night sweats. Nearly every 15 minutes. Sheet on, sheet off, sheet on, sheet off...............
Sorry if this is a bit personal, but it's not very comfortable.
I mean it's better this, than being cramped in a cage 24/7 for years with canulars being inserted into the gall bladder through raw proud flesh without any local....
Still, I need my sanity and sleep.
I've been searching the web for some natural remedies. Know of any Kristin or anyone??

thats terrible JM!
my migraines where caused from being on the pill, when I went off it I think I only had one migraine and used to get quite servere ones alot, you know the Drs never told me the pill could be causing them
now for natural remedies for you JM, well soy products helped my mum but I guess that you are already consuming them, LSA is good on cereal too, evening primrose oil and vit E, zinc, wild yam cream,calcium and magnesium, flax seed oil,  chamomile tea(you have already), eat whole grains and deal with stress

you can tell that I have alot of books on alternative remedies! hope some of thes suggestions help you Julie May
or visit a good naturpath or herbalist if you still have problems

Thanks Kristin, will consider all these options.
My next day off, I'll visit the health shop.
I'm glad you don't suffer the migraines anymore. Amazing ( more like appalling) how some doctors ( not all ) aren't quite straight forward with answers, or simply don't remove the side blinkers.
Better not say anymore, I work at a medical practice, and having said that, I better go to bed as I commence work at 12 today.
So goodnite Kristin and all.

goodnight JM, off to bed too, start at 6.30 am eeekkk! wish I was starting at 12!

Shane - I do have a teeth grinding problem - have had it all my life as far as I remember.  Have only been waking up with aching teeth the last 5 years or so though.  

I've had an abnormal amount of headaches all my life but a few years ago found that they seemed to be caused by muscular tension - during assessment time at uni I would get bad headaches because I was hunched over working and studying all the time - physio helped but finishing that period of uni stopped the headaches.  

Back to the teeth grinding - that may well be contributing although I am certain that the muscle tension thing has to be a big factor in my headaches (I have "ridges" of muscle that feel as hard as bone).  Anyway, the teeth thing - I have been experiencing very sensitive teeth over the last five years or so as well.  My regular dentist that I had been going to all my life seemed to think that the sensitive teeth thing was caused by the fact that I have sugar in my coffee... call me sceptical but I didn't buy it - I have 2 teaspoons of sugar in a whole day and other people having 2 teaspoons of sugar in every cup of coffee plus eating lollies and softdrink in between don't have any teeth sensitivity problems.  That was dentist number 1 - that was the last time I went to him.

Then after a while I went to another dentist - I honestly thought I must have holes in most of my teeth as the sensitivity pain was so intense and didn't go away when I wasn't eating.  That dentist told me that my gums had receded a long way and that I should a) brush with a sensitive teeth toothpaste and b) smear some of that toothpast on my gums before going to bed at night.  (b caused me to loose a lot of sleep with that gagging feeling so I stopped that treatment).  Anyway, the same dentist did a filling for me and it just seemed so horrible - it was too high and painful and I couldn't close my teeth properly for 2 weeks until he was able to fit me in for an appointment to grind it back.  Even after he ground the tooth the intense pain (couldn't eat on that side of my mouth at all) continued for probably at least 6 months.  I didn't go back to that dentist.

I have been hanging around wondering what to do about my teeth - those two dentists just made me feel dumb.... and I know I'm no expert but I was really disappointed that they didn't want to do anything to treat the tooth-grinding... I've heard of mouthgards to wear at night to stop the grinding - neither of them even suggested that - being the patient I didn't bring it up... it seems to be me that its out of line to suggest how a professional in that kind of field might want to do their job.

Anyway, I joined up with MBF last year in April and if I have yearly checkups my dental credits go up each year so I want to have a dental checkup before April 16... also apprehensive about doing so.  Shane, if you are in Brisbane, would you mind telling me who your dentist is - I just want to find a dentist that will take my problem seriously.  This could be contributing to my headaches and it would be good to at least eliminate it if nothing else.

Couple of suggestions....
If you smoke, give up. It definately contributes to tense facial muscles.
Could be your TMJ, temporomandibular joint, which is in your face and causes problems for a lot of people.
There are specific stretches you can do for this, also you have to look at your posture. Many people with office jobs have developed bad habits. So a chiro or physio could help you with that, as well if you don't already you could look at doing some core strengthening exercises. Be aware of the position of your head. Sitting at a desk for long hours can cause you to develop a habit of jutting your head forward, which causes enormous strain too. If you think of your pelvis to shoulders as a rectangular box and you need to keep your head over this box. In this beginning it may feel like you are actually leaning backward, but that is just because you are used to leaning forward.

Another couple of things to check on.
1. Have your eyes tested. I have perfect 20/20 vision, but get eye strain anyway because I focus very hard on what i'm doing (and have had awful migraines from this). I know have prescription glasses that amazingly reduce the strain. The difference is unbelievable.

2. Make sure you are drinking enough water. If you are slightly dehydrated, you don't feel thirsty, and soon enough you become dehydrated. The fluids in your body and brain become a little "stickier", and it is harder for your body to shift stuff around, causing a mild kind of stagnation. This can cause major headaches and muscle tension. My migraines greatly reduced when i realised i needed to drink at least 1 litre of water a day, in addition to other fluids.

3. Try a hot (as you can stand it) epsom salts bath to remove and draw impurities out of your muscles. No longer than 20 minutes. If you are really sore, this works wonders. Add at least half a box of Epsom salts to the bath water (chuck in some lavender eseential oil if you want, or something else you find soothing). However I wouldn't do this if you have a migraine in full swing, you will probably vomit. Make sure you drink lots of water after wards too, because the impurities that come out of your muscles need to be flushed away. Don't drink alcohol after you have the Epsom salts bath. It will make you sick.

4. Find a massage training centre near you so you can afford to have a good firm sports massage from time to time. Try to always follow your massage with the Epsom salts bath. The combined effect is brilliant. The day after, you may ache, but the day after that you will feel much, much better. I promise.

5. Be aware that nurofen and similar pain killers are very tough on your digestive system lining. ALWAYS take on a full stomach.

Thankfully, I have only had the occasional migraine over recent years. They are hideous, debilitating, and a sign that all is not right in your body. In fact, I have not had one migraine since I stopped consuming milk, and reduced cheese (which I have now stopped).

I really hope those of you still suffering find an answer to what triggers yours.

Great Link about the Tiger Balm. Knew there was a reason i love it so much! thanks!

Sleep teeth grinding can wear down your teeth. I am surprised your dentist did not notice.

If you don't have the $100+ to get a mouth guard made then you can have a go at making your own.
http://www.frozzie.com/frozzie/up0.asp

You can make many things with this non-toxic plastic, Mouth guards, Vampire teeth, Sex toys....

Can you make anti-snoring devices?

Charlie - boy do I know the feeling.

First... stretches can actually make things worse once the problem's gotten to a certain point... because anything more than the gentlest stretch is actually reacted to as pain, and causes extra tension. ARGH.

Second... as a long term solution, tai chi.

Third... short term solution - one doctor I went to recommended a very regimented set of nurofen, panadol and heat packs. Me being me, I sorted it out myself without too many painkillers, but it wasn't as advanced as yours sounds. That doctor was in Wynnum, I think. Another option - probably cheaper and, frankly, healthier... there used to be two doctors in the Indooroopilly shopping centre tower who did acupuncture on medicare bulk-billing. That was only a couple of years ago, they're probably still there. Dr Lee or Li? Liu?

Sorry Charlie D just got time to read this since last night. Im afraid my dentist would be too far away.. I live in Adelaide. I can certainly sympathise with you though, like I say I suffered for years.

There was another thing I forgot to mention when i was talking about all the things I had tried. I went to a neurologist who told me (at the exorbitant cost of $300 for 15 minutes) try to relax a bit more and have a holiday. More or less "its all in your mind"!!

Sorry I cant be more help but it can be caused by so many things or a combination of all. I still have the hard muscles on my neck and shoulders like yours as Im an accountant and I sit hunched over computers and spreadsheets etc all day and get the headaches from that but nothing compared to how they used to be.

Charlie, have you tried feldenkrais or the Alexander Technique? I was all 'knotted' up at uni too, and then introduced to these two techniques at acting school. When your body is out of alignment, all sorts of nutty stuff can happen. I swear I gained an inch in height and have only had headaches resulting from too much chardonnay since. -They're not 'miracle sures' by any means, but they worked for me:-)

i have TMJ syndrome & made a mouth guard thingy made to wear at night, it takes a week or so to get used to but it did help my jaw for a while.  The mouth guard can be built up or filed down, to get the best height.  Mine was free but it was done at the hospital.  After a while it stopped working but i'd recommend looking into one.

Monitor and Screen Dangers

Another potential hazard to computer users is caused by the computer's monitor (also known as a screen, VDU or Visual Display Unit). Computers create an electro-magnetic field (EMF) around them because they run on electricity. Very high EMF levels have been shown to cause cancer, but all manufacturers have to conform with an international standard which is much lower than this. However, the American Newspaper Guild has warned its members that they may still face a health risk as a result of using computer monitors, and unions in the UK are also concerned about the possible risks.
Possible health risks are claimed to range from facial burning or prickling sensations, problems in concentrating, dizziness, headaches, nausea, teeth and jaw pain, memory loss and muscular aches and pains to cardiac palpitations, higher levels of miscarriages and birth defects, RSI, cancer, depression and Alzheimer's. While it should be stressed that none of these effects are proven (and in the case of miscarriages and birth defects there has been a considerable amount of research which taken as a whole does not show any link), it is important to follow health and safety rules for monitor use to minimise the risk. NB: The amount of radiation emitted by a monitor is not necessarily related to its size; a tiny 14 inch monitor may emit more radiation than a 28 inch model because of the way it has been manufactured.

Another common problem related to the computer monitor is eye strain, which leads to a range of health problems such as headaches and fatigue. Early computer users frequently complained that their eyesight had actually deteriorated from working with computer monitors. In fact, evidence showed what was really happening was that existing defects were being shown up, giving rise to problems such as headaches, irritation and soreness in the eyes.

THE BEST MONITORS ARE  THE FLAT  LCD MONITORS
If you have old monitors lying around out of use dispose of them properly the smaller the monitor the worse for radiation same goes for tvs ...

Shane  i cant believe  your ok on 20 asprin a day the limit is 8 without doing causing liver problems  or worse    i was getting headaches my doctor sent me to a  nuerologist  as it could be  something   very  serious    even a  mri scan in case its tumour or bleeding ...

you should check it out realy its your life dont take chnaces with it .... especially if the    headache does  not go away   or you never experienced these sort of headaches before or you have other symptoms with it ...