Extreme Headaches While Swimming

Originally posted by all3girl Neutral position? Probably not since I have no idea what that means.. :) A "neutral position" means looking toward the bottom of the pool, not forward, with your head in line with your body. If you look foward or if you lift your head (say, to breathe) you may be tensing your neck muscles which can cause headaches.

I think it may be not holding my head in a neutral position. I have also recently switched over to bi-lateral breathing instead of breathing on one side. I am only 23, so I don't think it's osteo-arthritis.

"neck headaches" as those of us who are intimately familiar with them call them often hurt from base of skull (occiput) along the side of the head to above the temple. Sometimes one side, sometimes both. Ice applied to the neck (not heat) can dull the pain. As has been stated above, holding your head in an awkward position definitely could cause this. Also, think about the position you hold all day or night. If you swim in the morning after having slept on one side all night (or swim in the evening after using a poorly positioned mouse all day) the swimming itself might not be the actual/only cause of the tension. Just use this advice if you're positive this is not some medical condition (the disclaimer portion of the post). Also, as someone noted previously, breathing could be a problem. Perhaps you are holding your breath (concentrating/learning new skills often produces this effect) or not exhaling completely. Make sure you are exhaling with BOTH your nose and mouth. Good luck...

I definately used to get headaches during workouts. Initially, thought it was my exercise-induced asthma flaring abit; but as it turned out I had a chronic sinusitus set up b/c of sinus polyps! Have you seen your internist to ask?

not wanting to trivialize the problem but... have you looked at how dark your goggles are? I used to get severe headaches when I used dark tinted goggles. Even just dark goggles would do it to me. I can swim with clear or light color goggles without getting headaches. I think it's something worth looking into but the advice of seeing a doctor just in case is probably the best. All the best

Hugo- I think you just nailed my problem. I have always used clear goggles and just recently switched to dark goggles, oddly enough, right around the same time I started getting headaches. I wonder why the tint causes a headache? Oh well, I guess I'll just switch back to clear and see if that resolves the problem. Thank You

How bizarre. I wonder why the goggle color would make a difference... Ideas, anyone?:confused:

I don't think I have an answer to your question. My answer was purely empirical. I wonder if there is some sort of connection between amount of light and some sort of chemical release in response to it. Just speculations... who knows!! Amanda, I hope that is your problem. It would definitly save you a lot of worry. If you want to swim with tinted goggles Tyr has some great ones that are almost clear (Socket Rockets, model Ice).

I like tinted goggles since I do triathlon, so they reduce the glare off the top of the water. But, since I'm swimming inside it doesn't matter right now. I am currently using the TYR Raceflex goggles and they have a black tint, probably the darkest tint they have...

Do you wear a swimcap? Eons ago I had an accident and got stitches in my forehead. My doctor insisted that if I was to swim, I had to wear a swimcap. I tried a workout wearing the rubber cap and I got the worst heat-headache ever! I tore the cap off, the headache went away and I never wore one again. Interesting about tinted lenses. I never noticed any difference, but it's good to know when buying replacements.