I sometimes have migraine headaches, but I have reduced their incidence by taking 500 mg daily of magnesium, avoiding certain triggers and drinking more water. But one trigger I can't avoid is racing goggles...I still get headaches for two or three days after a meet because of the pressure tight goggles place below my brows. Anyone have any suggestions? I wear women's speedo racing goggles as loose as I can without them falling off....
There are reports of supra-orbital neuralgia caused by swimming goggles. The supra-orbital nerve exits the skull just above the eyebrow and supplies sensation to the forehead and scalp. Injury or irritation to the nerve can cause devastating headaches.
The case reports mention relief changing goggle styles (they naturally don't get into details about this, I am sure the neurologists didn't find goggles as interesting as we do).
Maybe you have some version of this phenomenon. Try different goggles and try to see if they might be pressing on the nerve it self.
This picture might help.
Susan, I get frequent headaches as well (so often that they are called migraines) and often after a long, hard swim practice. I find that when I'm really working hard, I tighten up my forehead and cause the headaches. Can you see if maybe you are doing that at a meet as well?
There are reports of supra-orbital neuralgia caused by swimming goggles. The supra-orbital nerve exits the skull just above the eyebrow and supplies sensation to the forehead and scalp. Injury or irritation to the nerve can cause devastating headaches.
The case reports mention relief changing goggle styles (they naturally don't get into details about this, I am sure the neurologists didn't find goggles as interesting as we do).
Maybe you have some version of this phenomenon. Try different goggles and try to see if they might be pressing on the nerve it self.
This picture might help.
This definitely sounds like what's happening. Thanks for taking the time to share this with me. Maybe I should try wearing a larger goggle that doesn't cut into that vulnerable area (hopefully it will stay on my head, too).
Susan, I get frequent headaches as well (so often that they are called migraines) and often after a long, hard swim practice. I find that when I'm really working hard, I tighten up my forehead and cause the headaches. Can you see if maybe you are doing that at a meet as well?
This is a good suggestion and contracting muscles in my forehead sometimes gives me tension headaches, but I think the comment about the supra orbital neuralgia is what's happening. After I've had my goggles on that tight for a couple of races, I leave the meet feeling like that area is almost bruised. It feels sensitive at first and then progresses to an agonizing headache.
Barracuda doesn't make the most streamlined goggles,but they do make good goggles that don't put pressure on the eye socket area.
I've seen those, Allen. Can you dive in with them?
A J, since you describe these headaches as connected to racing, I assume you don't have them after regular workouts. What goggles do you use during practice? Why not race with them?
I wear Women's Speedo Vanquisher for racing and Lane Four Selene goggles in practice. I am not sure the Selene goggles would stay on during a dive, since they rest on and above my brow, but I love them because they have very soft rubber around the eyes and do not leave ring marks. Selene goggles never give me headaches.
This is a good suggestion and contracting muscles in my forehead sometimes gives me tension headaches, but I think the comment about the supra orbital neuralgia is what's happening. After I've had my goggles on that tight for a couple of races, I leave the meet feeling like that area is almost bruised. It feels sensitive at first and then progresses to an agonizing headache.
It sounds like what I get as well. When we have 2 hour practices, it's worse. If you find goggles, please let me know. I'd love to try some new ones out as well.
I used the Barracuda goggles for many years when i first started using goggles to practice. You can buy prescription lenses for them too. They are bigger and clunckier than say the vanquisher or typical AG swim goggle, but very compfortable. However, I never had much luck off the blocks with these goggles. So, would warm for masters meets and swim events without any goggles and use just the Barracuda goggles for practice. Eventually started practicing with smaller speedo goggles like my kids used, but still don't feel very comfortable diving with them from a block. May still try swim events without any goggles. You can't see as well across the pool lanes, but can see swimmers along side ok and the wall. It's not as drastic as you might think. You don't have to worry about losing them when you start or tightiening them to the point where they cause headaches at meets. Obviously you can't wear contacts without goggles.
Theoretically, smaller, aero-hydro shaped goggles should help with speed more than the bigger goggles or masks, but I wonder if there have ever been experiments to compare the actual results of the two. Maybe some folks here can experiment on themselves---wear different types of goggles to swim the same distance and time them? I tend to think concerns over goggles' leaking or falling during a race are much more legitimate than over the shapes/sizes of goggles. (But then, maybe those small competition goggles' advantages include not only the aero-hydro shape, but also they don't fall or leak easily, and maybe that's why some people prefer them?)
If they don't make much difference, then why not wear the more comfortable ones?
