headaches

[Joeybsmooth1]

I have been getting headache when I play for a long time , I am kind of new but I dont no if this is normal or if I should go to the doctors.

[ratracer]

Make sure you're not hyperventilating. :)

[Martinman]

Do loud noises for extened periods of time give you headaches?

[kavala]

One doctor should suffice. :D

Seriously though, you could be pinching nerves in your neck
or too much tension in the neck muscles.

Check out a good masseuse. Heck, even without the headaches
check her out. :D

[Joeybsmooth1]

One doctor should suffice. :D

Seriously though, you could be pinching nerves in your neck
or too much tension in the neck muscles.

Check out a good masseuse. Heck, even without the headaches
check her out. :D

I may try that, I wish lived in Canada where I could go to the MD with out paying .

[bari_sax_diva]

You might also pose this question to your dentist. TMJ (temporomandibular joint syndrome) can manifest itself in headaches among sax players. I feel a bit of it when I'm practicing hard--especially on the bigger saxes/clarinets.

[Rackety Sax]

Perhaps consider using a harness rather than a neckstrap to see if that solves the problem.

[Jolle]

Some possible causes :
- too much noise. Headache should also occur from wild partying and be like sticking needles through the skull

- too much tension in the neck muscles. Headache should occur as a "beating, pushing" band on the front part of the head and the temples

- too much pressure/hyperventilation : headache should go together with dizziness/ lightheadedness.

remedies are given already.

TMJ might be a cause of headache, but you should have pain right under your ears too (on the joint itself). TMJ is mostly caused by bad habits. If not, it's not linked to playing sax alone, but also to eating etc.

I wouldn't worry too much and try some of the above first. If pain persists or is pretty strong, go see a doctor.

My 2 cents

[ratracer]

What about dehydration?

I suffered with migraines for a year or so until I hit upon this solution. Now, as long as I stay hydrated the migraines are kept at bay. (I used to get so engrossed with work projects that I'd go for a stretch of about 3-4 days drinking very little and then wham, the migraines would hit. Now, I still get pretty engrossed but I consciously make the effort to drink fluids to stay hydrated. Migraines are now non-existent.) The older I get the more susceptible I seem to be and if and when I ever get a chance to practice for a couple of hours I find myself incredibly dry and have to stick a hose down my throat to hydrate.

Good luck. Lots of good advice presented.

[bandmommy]

Sinus pressure from allergies, colds, or larger than normal adnoids can lead to headache too.

[Joeybsmooth1]

Thank you so much guys , I am going to look in to every thing. I am playing for 3 hours in a row , and I have never done that before, and to add to that I am in a tiny room. I may going to try to go out side and play more , with a harness.

[kavala]

3 hours in a tiny room.....:shock: :shock: :shock:

And you wonder why you have headaches ????? :? :?

Wear some earplugs. It will save you having hearing loss and tinitus. ;)

There are some you can get that reduce the level evenly across the
audio spectrum, so that it still sounds ok, albiet quieter.

[Jolle]

Thank you so much guys , I am going to look in to every thing. I am playing for 3 hours in a row , and I have never done that before, and to add to that I am in a tiny room.
Cause found : lack of oxygen causes more blood to rush to the head, which causes a headache. And the extra CO2 in the room isn't going to help.

Ventilate that room, and get some oxygen in between practicing.

[milandro]

Joeybsmooth1, in spite of all the good advise given here, do go to see a doctor by all means (....and your comment about not going to see the doctor because the consultation is not free where you live means a lot to me, in this time and age when people are being deprived of their basic right to have some form or other of medicare for which they don't have to sacrifice money they might not have....I am not saying this is your case, I just took it as an exaple to make a point....)


Even physicians among us would agree that a correct diagnosis can only be made by seeing the patient in person, and I always strongly object to my GP assistant prescribing (!) drugs over the phone just by listening to someone's complaint and making assessments which only a qualified GP should be making and in person.

This is the very point of prevention. A vague complaint like yours might turn out to be the beginning of something which discovered in time might save your life. I wish you good health!:)

[Jolle]

Milandro,

although I agree with you, it doesn't hurt to first check whether it can be a simple cause. If you stay in an unventilated little room blowing your head off for three hours, not having a headache is more reason to see a doctor than actually having one.

So if the problem solves itself, what need to go to a doctor? I know it can be the first expression of something bad. Then again, I would have to run to a doctor about three times a week...

[milandro]

yep,...... I think that opening a window and taking a break in the 3 hour practice is good advise.

On the other hand I live in a country where lots of people don't ever go to see the doctor (it is free!) even if there's something slightly wrong with them because it shows a sign of weakness to do so.

A recent program for widespread blood exams discovered thousands of different diseases in a large population of folks who had them and went undetected because of neglecting to askig for a check up to doctors who are not even aware of the existence of some patients for which they get paid but never see.

My father-in-law was hurried to hospital because he had a heart problem after having been waiting 2 weeks to see the doctor and have some serious swelling of his ankles (he put on 6Kg of water weight!) and had a heartbeat of 150...the doctor said he didn't know how he could walk and talk.....

The law in Holland requires every car after the 3rd year to be checked annually. I know people of above 40 who haven't seen the doctors for years. So effectively they put more care into keeping their car functional then they do to themselves. Prevention, prevention, prevention

[Joeybsmooth1]

It is crazy. I hurt my fingers a while back , and I had to go to the doctor ( did not want to ) . All they did was poke me and drain my fingers of blood. A week are two later I get a Bill for 300 bucks . lol

[milandro]

Gee.....doctors must have learned from mechanichs......or sax-technicians! ;) :D