Vania,

Welcome to NeuroTalk.

You say you do not have any symptoms with your neck but have you probed to see if you have any tender spots, often behind the ear ? They would only be tender to touch. This can indicate muscle spams. The subtle neck injuries common to concussions are very difficult to positively diagnose. Sometimes, the only diagnostic is in reverse. If gentle traction and mobilization, followed by icing, reduces your head ache, that is a diagnosis.

Do you have to look at a computer screen screen at work ? For me, trying to focus on a screen meant I had to tilt my head back, even more once I needed trifocal glasses and needed to search for the right part of the lens.

The mental load of a 1 or 2 hour stimulating discussion can trigger symptoms. Do you experience any times when you have to work harder to listen to what others are saying ? This can be a sign of over-stimulation. Are there multiple voices trying to talk at the same time ? This is usually over-stimulating. The increase in symptoms often lags behind the task but can last long after the task is over.

btw, A common remedy is to prescribe amitriptyline in a small dose. It is a tricyclic antidepressant but the small dose does not provide an antidepressant effect. But, it can help with headaches and insomnia.

How is you sleep ? Poor sleep can be a big headache trigger. Quality sleep is more important than quantity. Tossing and turning to get to sleep usually means a night of poor quality sleep. A FitBit can tell you how much you toss when you are sleeping if you have access to one.

Have you tried any headache meds such as aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen or a combination of aspirin and acetaminophen ?

Do you have a way to take your blood pressure when your headaches are at the worst ?

Relieving the pain can reduce the stress sensation and help with recovery.

When you are not working, it helps to stay busy with low stress activities. The idle mind will quickly focus on symptoms and cause them to magnify. Activities that use the hands, crafts, knitting, drawing, painting, gardening, playing solitaire with real cards are all low stress activities. The hands cannot work any faster than a PCS brain can tolerate (as long as you are not playing video games).

Try to avoid tasks that require using your memory to juggle information. Make notes instead.

For some, the headaches just take time. I have had two concussions where the headaches were chronic for 6 months before they stopped. Not continuous headaches but part of every day. They get tiring. I did a lot of icing the back of my head.

I think you should just try to moderate your work activity level but not stop being active. The brain needs enough mental activity to cause good blood flow.

If you explain what a work day entails, we may have some suggestions to moderate it.

For some, walking has a pounding affect with each foot plant. Riding a bike, real or stationary may work better.

My best to you.