Am I stupid to go to the ER for a severe headache caused by tight muscles in my neck and back?

Question

It's the end of the day, and I've had a headache since 2:00 this afternoon. I've taken 2 extra strength Tylenol and an 800 mg Skelaxin pill — neither have touched it. I'm assuming the headache's from my back and neck being very sore. I've been dealing with 3 different doctor's for my back pain (the neck just started in yesterday) and no one is willing to act aggressively. They've told me to take Advil, Ibuprofen, Aleve, ..... and I ALREADY have — and have told them that, but I think they think I'm going to get addicted to something if they give me anything heavier. I've never been on pain pills before except for when I had my tubes tied, and I didn't even finish the whole prescription. So there's nothing in my past that would give them any indications that I'm prone to addiction or anything. Now that all the medical offices are closed — and not that I have many other choices anyway, should I go to the ER or will it be the same thing there as all the other places I've gone?

Answer 1

Go ahead and go to the ER. If you have tried everything you have available to you and nothing has worked, it's time for more help.
If you have a regular doctor and he/she is on call after hours, you might try contacting your doctor first to see if he/she can order something stronger for you. But the more you are in pain, the worse the tightening of the muscles will become which will cause more pain. You need something to relax those muscles to relieve the headache.

Answer 2

Your docs need to be investigating the cause of this prob. If they have already identified the cause, it would be wise to take their advice. Pain pills are not always prescribed just for pain. Anti-inflammatory pills (i.e., Ibuprofen and Advil), for example, reduce inflammation and, facilitate healing. Perhaps the inflammation in your back and neck needs to heal and then the headaches will go away. Anti-inflammatory pills are not addictive.

Analgesics like asprin are true pain killers. They stop the prostaglandins from swimming around in your body. They are responsible for the pain signal. So, they have minimal anti-inflammatory effect but affect the pain you feel.

If you feel that your doctor's have not gotten to the cause of your pain, the ER will not get to the bottom of it. They will simply give you something that will temporarily treat your headaches until you can follow-up with your doc. Unless you are dying, their focus will be to treat the presenting symptom which will allow you to function enough to follow-up with your family doc.

If your pain is severe, go to the ER. Perhaps you will get something that will work for the pain and they can offer you an alternate treatment for the back pain. They will not turn you away. You will likely not be admitted to the ER, but to "non-urgent care/minor treatment". You can use what they have to say as a second opinion as well.

If you can hold off, I'd wait to see your family doc. Someone that knows what you've tried and will not only be able to give you something else, but can decide whether CT scans or MRI's are warranted given you aren't responding to treatment. The ER won't do this unless you are in EXTREME pain. They'll suspect a brain abnormality and may admit you then. Depending on your frustration, you may want to....uh, cry-wolf.

I have been in your shoes. Taking medications that do not work and then being prescribed another that should work, but doesn't and then having to wait for specialist appointments and no one telling me what is wrong but just treating symptoms. It's frustrating.

It's up to you whether you want to go to the ER. Hopefully, I've given you some material to consider anyhow.

Answer 3

Just discovered recently, the suboccipital muscles on the base of your skull are connected to the dura mater covering the brain in some people. When the muscles are tight, this pulls the dura posterior, resulting in very painful headaches. Go to a chiropractor that is proficient in active release techniques (one who has done the SPINE module.) They should be able to help you. Find one on www.activerelease.com. I had this same problem and I feel great now. If all the offices are closed now, then maybe put some wet heat on the back of your neck and base of your skull for about twenty minutes at a time. Good luck. P.S. the drugs didn't help my headaches AT ALL.

Answer 4

This is one of those things you want to get rid of right away. The problems you have are caused by tight neck muscles, the one thing that won't show up on any scan. When the neck muscles are tight they give you pain in the neck, can cause headaches, they connect to muscles going around the head that they can pull into pain for the headache, cause the sinus problems and sore throats. When your neck muscles are tight they are restricting the blood from leaving the head. That backs blood up in your head, filling the sinuses first and then the rest of your head. When you have a restricted blood flow leaving the brain less fresh blood is entering as well to result in a lowered oxygen level in the brain. There are three stages of lowered oxygen levels in the brain and they are; feeling very tired; getting dizzy or light headed; and passing out. When the muscles are tight they press into your throat to trap your tongue muscle and that becomes your sore throat. The sinuses will not only be filled in the nose area but the pressure in the neck area backs them up as well. To get rid of these problems you have to free up your neck muscles to restore the blood flow back to normal which will get rid of the rest of your problems and here's how to free them up: Neck Put your hands alongside your head so your thumbs are on the front of the muscle under your ear and your fingers are on the back of the muscle behind your neck. Squeeze your thumb and fingers together and hold. Relax your body. After about 30 to 45 seconds, when you don’t feel the muscles releasing any longer, slowly lower your head as far as you can, release the pressure but hold your neck lowered for another 30 seconds. repeat if needed for they will be tight. For best results relax your body first by taking a deep breath and exhaling then remain this relaxed.

Answer 5

Much pain is from muscles below is an example of what may help (based on headaches).
Begin with a couple swigs of molasses or a couple of bananas (natural muscle relaxers) daily - magnesium (which regulates many things in the body) and potassium (a needed building block for muscles).
Drink at least 1/2 gallons of water per day. Running a body low on water is like running a car low on oil is the analogy the head of neurology at UCDavis told my husband about 10 years ago.

Now to the cause - muscles - your back, neck shoulders and head have tender spots. They are knots in the fibers of the muscles called trigger points. It makes the muscles tight which makes them press on nerves and other things causing the pain.

The cure - start with a professional massage, you will also want to go back over any place you can get to 6-12 times per session up to 6 times per day rubbing (or lightly scratching on your head) every where that is tender until the knots go away. The place where the skull connects to the spine press up under the edge of the skull (to get to those muscles).

For more information read The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook by Davies. It teaches what to do and where the pain comes from.

Answer 6

Unresolved head pain can be serious. It certainly warrants a trip to the ER, but be aware that you may have to wait for HOURS before actually seeing a doctor......but it does sound like you need help.

You don't mention what type of doctors you've been to (chiropractor? family physician? etc), but if you're not getting help then you need to go elsewhere. Perhaps the ER doctor could recommend someone....or you may need some additional tests run that they will do in the ER anyway.

But you are not stupid for seeking help. Pain is pain, and if you're not getting relief then it can be quite scary. Throttle someone if you need to, but you need a doctor that is going to identify and treat the CAUSE, and not just focus on suppressing the symptoms. If it's getting worse, then something needs to be identified, and quickly!

Hope you feel better FAST!

Answer 7

There is no medicine in this world to treat any pain! Pain killers give temp. relief, but it is also not working with you.
Acupuncture/acupressure is the only treatment for chronic/acute pains respectively.
Search a painful point behind your thumb nail. Press that couragiously being painful; pain will disappear within few seconds. Many times nerve pain don't respond to acupressure. If you fail approaching acupuncturist or visiting us is the only solution.
It may disappear automatically also, but can last for years also. Pl take proper decision.

Answer 8

Not the ER, but that should be checked out by a specialist. No you're not stupid(as far as I know, at least:), you're desperate. There's probably someone out there who's willing to check it out. It might be something that needs to be X-raid.

Answer 9

No, I would have done the same thing