Workout routines that involve pushing, pulling and lifting can cause an entity known as exertional headaches. This type of headache can also be triggered by sneezing and coughing. Some form of correlation exists between lifting and exertional headaches, so we sometimes refer to them as weightlifting headaches. Pain typically occurs in the occipital area of the neck. The occipital ridge is the bone along the back of the neck and head down to the base of the skull.
If however the pain and headaches occur equally outside of the exercise time, then we may be looking at a case of occipital neuralgia. Occipital neuralgia is characterized by a cycle of alternating pain and muscle spasms that originates at the base of the neck. This pain may extend to the sides or front of the head or even behind the eyes, often causing it to be misdiagnosed as an occipital migraine. In cases of occipital neuralgia, exercise may not be a main trigger of the symptoms, yet if the activity causes you to tense or strain your neck or causes falls or impact on the neck, there could be a connection.
The solution depends on which of the above mentioned entities you have: if it's exertional headache, then you may need to shorten the duration of your workouts. In both cases, using smaller weights is a good idea. If your symptoms resemble those of occipital neuralgia, you will need to consult a neurologist on the matter.
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