Migraine

I'm curious to find out if any of you have experienced this... I have no idea if it's something that's totally normal or totally weird, but I've never had the courage to ask anyone about it. A lot of times when I have a headache, particularly the all-over tension/sinusy/pressure kind (where it feels like your brain is too big for your skull), I get this kind of crackly sound/sensation in the back of my skull when i turn my neck from side to side. I know this sounds kind of weird, but has anyone had this or know what I'm talking about? I'm not sure how to explain it better... it's like a crackling, above my neck in the back of the skull, and it kind of relieves the pressure in my head for a split second when I move my head around. I'm fully prepared to be called a freak for this , but i'm hoping that maybe someone out there knows what i'm talking about... it's something that i've wondered about for a long time now.

I don't think that's a wierd question at all! I don't think a lot of us here will think that it is wierd! I know what you mean!

The feeling of your brain being too big, could be because of the migraine, that is what is going on - let me see if I can find you a link for this to better explain then my rambling will....here is a link about migraine patients having thinker cortex then others, along with other symptoms, but what I was trying to find was the actual process that happens during migraine.

If someone else knows where that link is - help me out? I can't find it!

Migraine attack consists of "a series of events involving sereral centers of the brain, including the brain stem. The end of that series involves dialation or swelling of the blood vessels in the brain and the surround-covering of the brain. The headache of a Migraine attack, if there is one, is from a sensory impulses trasnmistted by the nerves from theses inflamed blood vessels and surrounding tissues transmitted to higher centers of the brain and experienced as pain."

- Teri Robert from her book Living Well with Migraine Disease and Headaches (Which if you don't have or have not read - get it! It will become your bible!

So yes, the pain in the neck (no pun intended) is part of the process. The inflammation could cause popping in that area as well. I notice my neck cracks more when I have a migraine, but it never hurts to ask your doctor either!

Constantly. In fact, I complained about the crackly popping and the pressurized "brain too big" sensation that comes with it last time I saw my neuro. He asked me what I knew about chiari. I told him roughly I knew roughly what it was, but I didn't pursue it, and didn't think much of it at the time. Looking up chiari for something else a couple of months ago, I found a list of other symptoms I also complained about that day, such as swallowing issues and losing grip suddenly, so now I think I might know why he mentioned chiari. I'm going to grill him when I see him this spring, and see what he thinks the odds are and if we're going to pursue the possibility at all.

I have the crackling and popping pretty much all the time, but it's much worse during a migraine. Then it slacks off. It's a lot milder away from migraine activity, though.

Wow, I'm glad I asked! I guess I'll put that on my list of things to mention to the doctor.

dragondroolHOST: I had never heard of chiari before - that's very interesting. I don't think I have it all the time (I only really notice it in conjunction with migraine and headaches), but I'll have to pay more attention now to the pattern. I just started keeping a journal yesterday to try to pull all these things together. Sorry to hear you have it constantly! I think that would drive me crazy. Good luck with the neuro - keep us updated!

I tried moving my head after you said it and was surprised to find I have it too.

Since I didn't know I had this, I'll have to think about it a while.

Heh, good to know I'm not the only one. I wonder how common it is.

Eileen,
Are you thinking about Pathways of a Migraine

Arthirtis in you neck? Mine cracks too....but I have some neck issues...

quote:

Originally posted by Nancy Bonk:
Arthirtis in you neck? Mine cracks too....but I have some neck issues...

I was about to post this exact same thing, Nancy. Of course I'm all postdromey, and actually did move my neck like that, and crack, crack.

And then I realized that mine also were not migraine-related... The fun of a "issue-ladden" neck

Hi, e, welcome to the forums!

I've had this most of my life, although it seems to be getting more frequent (or maybe I'm just noticing it more?). I get very quiet cracking noises when moving my head. I also occasionally get a fizzing, popping sound, which always makes me imagine tiny bubbles in my csf, like almost flat champagne, lol!

Anyway, it's nice to know that I am not the only insane one...

yep, I've had it too. Its not exactly like knuckles cracking kind of popping, its a much finer sound/ feel than that. I had always attributed it to bad sinuses because when I have a 'sinus headache' that's when I get the cracking.

Welcome kidsnurse. I see you're new. Please feel free to ask any questions you have.

I get a bit of a scraping / clicking sensation in my neck pretty often... but then, I have definite arthritic spurring and disk degeneration there. (And a few years ago it pinched a nerve root and gave me several weeks of arm pain that made migraine headaches seem cheery by comparison.)