Can Seasonal Allergies Lead to Neck Pain?

Winter is over, the sun is out, flowers are blooming and you are … miserable. If you suffer from seasonal allergies, the start of warm weather ushers in endless hours of sneezing, itchy eyes, and sinus congestion.

If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. Every year, 20 million Americans suffer from pollen allergies, otherwise known as hay fever. While allergy symptoms are tolerable for many people, others experience added distress due to neck pain.

If allergies and neck pain bother you at the same time of the year, you may wonder if there is a connection between the two. We will examine some possible reasons for this pattern.

How do allergies start?

Each spring, summer, and fall, plants release pollen that floats on the wind and lodges in your eyes and airways to trigger allergies. While grasses are the most common cause of allergies, mold spores are another source. They can live anywhere, including your home, and cause allergy symptoms over several seasons.

Mold and mildew spread differently from plants. While plants have seeds, mold has “spores”. Some spores travel through windy air. Others spread when humidity is high, using a fog or dew to travel.

Allergic reactions start when plant pollen or mold spores reach your airways and encounter your body’s sentries, the mast cells. Mast cells in the mucosa lining of your nose sound the alarm when a foreign organism enters your body. They activate your immune system and trigger a number of responses:

• Nasal congestion
• Runny nose
• Coughing
• Sneezing
• Wheezing
• Itchy throat
• Itchy and watery eyes
• Hives
• Fatigue

An immune response is useful if your body needs to remove foreign organisms such as viruses or bacteria. However, it is inconvenient when the trigger is merely pollen.

For more information on allergies, click here.

Why is neck pain so common?

Studies show that neck problems are common. Roughly 20-70% of adults experience neck pain that interferes with their daily activities, at some point in their lifetime.

Your neck contains the top part of your spinal column (cervical spine), a likely source for injuries and pain. The cervical spine needs strength to support the head. (Fun Fact: the average human head weighs 10-13 pounds). It also needs flexibility in order to allow the neck to twist and bend.

The cervical spine has multiple parts:

• 7 back bones (vertebrae) – They provide strength to your neck and protect the spinal cord.
• 6 pairs of facet joints – These small joints connect the backbones and provide flexibility in the neck.
• 6 discs – These cartilage cushions act as shock absorbers between the backbones.
• 8 pairs of spinal nerves – Spinal nerves branch out from the top of the spine to reach the head, neck, shoulders, arms, and hands. They receive touch temperature, and pain sensations from the skin and control upper body movements (opening doors, brushing your hair).

The cervical spine is like a finely tuned instrument, with its multiple parts working together to produce precise movements. If any of these parts wear out or suffer injuries, you will experience neck stiffness and pain.

How does neck pain start?

In older people, neck pain usually starts slowly due to wear and tear in the joints or arthritis. Young people can experience sudden neck pain due to a car accident, a sport injury, or work-related strain.

Common causes of neck pain include:

• Muscle strains. Too many hours hunched over your desk or over your smartphone can trigger muscle pain. If you don’t seek treatment for your muscle pain in a timely manner, you may develop myofascial pain syndrome, a chronic form of muscle pain. The hallmark of myofascial pain syndrome is a taut band of muscle, known as a trigger point. Multiple trigger points in your neck muscles can cause considerable neck pain.

For more information on muscle pain, click here.

• Worn joints. Just like the other joints in your body, your neck joints start to wear down with age, injuries, and arthritis. A breakdown in the joint’s cartilage, causes the backbones to rub against each other. This causes pain, stiffness, swelling, and restricted neck movement.
• Pinched nerve. Damage to nerves in the neck (cervical) area can cause pain and the loss of sensation along the nerve’s pathway. This may lead to numbness and weakness in the neck, shoulder, chest, upper back, arm, or hand. Pressure on a nerve can occur due to ruptured discs, the growth of bone spurs, and arthritic changes.
• Disc degeneration. At birth, your discs contain about 80% water. With increased age the discs dry out, don’t absorb shocks as well, and become brittle and painful. Although this wear and tear in the spine is expected, it can cause considerable neck pain.
• Soft tissue injuries. Auto collisions or contact sports such as football can cause the head to move backward and forward, straining the soft tissues of the neck. Neck pain is caused by damage to the muscles, the tendons (connect muscles to the bones) or the ligaments (connect bones to each other).

Possible links between seasonal allergies and neck pain

Some people feel that they have neck pain at the same time of the year when their allergies flare up. If you are one of these people here are some possible explanations.

Some possibilities:

• Weather changes may cause both seasonal allergies and neck pain. High rainfall, especially in the spring, increases pollen levels. Due to the high humidity from rain, mold growth is also on the rise, triggering allergic reactions. A general state of inflammation takes over your body. Inflammation starts due to your allergies but it may also increase joint pain in people sensitive to weather changes. Increased stress and fatigue may lead to increased pain levels if you have an underlying neck pain problem.
• Neck pain may result from tense muscles.  Constant sneezing, coughing, and lack of sleep due to annoying allergic symptoms may cause your neck muscles to tense. This leads to increased muscle tension in your neck. Muscle pain may also start due to weather-related joint pain. As part of your body’s protective mechanism, muscles will tense over an underlying area of pain. Muscle tension can develop in your neck if you have an underlying joint injury, arthritis, or disc problem.
• Allergic congestion in your sphenoid sinuses may cause pressure in the back part of your head and neck. You have four pairs of sinuses, air-filled cavities in your head, that can become congested during allergy season. The deepest of these are the sphenoid sinuses, positioned in the middle of the skull. (See the following figure). If the sphenoid sinuses are very large (as may occur naturally in some people) they can extend close to the base of the occipital bone, in the back of your head. This area is close to the neck. You may feel that a congested sphenoid sinus is causing “neck pressure and pain” during allergy season.

When to seek help from your doctors

If you suffer from allergies and neck pain at the same time, seek care for both ailments. Do not just treat your allergies, hoping that your neck pain will automatically go away. Similarly, do not assume that treatment for your neck pain will improve your allergies. The two problems might be unrelated.

See a general practitioner (GP) or an immunologist if:

• Your allergies persist after treatment with over-the-counter medications
• Your allergies interfere with your daily life, such as driving safely or work

Neck pain requires a visit to a pain specialist who can diagnose the underlying problem and offer you the best treatment.

See a pain specialist if:

• Neck pain does not improve with over-the-counter medications
• You have trouble turning your head while driving
• A doctor has diagnosed you with neck problems in the past

Allergy Treatments

While allergies are bothersome, treatment is fairly straightforward.

At first:

• Avoid the allergy trigger – wear a mask, use a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in your house
• Take over-the-counter antihistamines to calm sneezing, itching, runny nose and hives
• Use over-the-counter nasal sprays to decrease congestion

For persistent allergy symptoms your GP or immunologist may offer:

• Prescription antihistamines
• Steroid nasal sprays to decrease inflammation
• Eye drops to relieve itchy eyes
• A leukotriene blocker (such as Singulair) that treats asthma and blocks some of the substances that cause allergy symptoms.
• Immunotherapy or allergy shots, a longterm treatment where you are exposed to tiny amounts of an allergen (such as pollen) over several years. It changes how your immune system reacts to allergy triggers.

Treatments for neck pain

Identifying the correct source of your neck pain is critical to a successful treatment. Proper diagnosis of your neck pain problem(s) starts with a visit to a pain specialist. Your visit will include a complete medical history and a thorough physical examination.

Based on your individual neck problem, your pain specialist may offer a number of treatments:

Treatments for muscle tension in the neck

• Anti-inflammatories
• Muscle relaxants
• Trigger point injections with numbing agents and/or steroids
• Botox injections
• Dry needling

For more information, click here.

Treatments for joint pain in the neck

• Cervical Medial Branch Nerve Block (MBBs) for treatment of joint pain
• Epidural Steroid Injections (ESIs)
• Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP Therapy)
• Prolotherapy
• Stem Cell Therapy
• Radiofrequency neurotomy (or ablation)

For more information on these treatments, click here.

Treatments for neck pain due to a pinched nerve

• Medications for nerve pain (antidepressants like Cymbalta, anticonvulsants like Neurontin)
• Epidural Nerve Block

Treatments for neck pain due to disc degeneration

• Over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s) like Advil, Aspirin
• Medications for nerve pain
• Muscle relaxants
• Epidural Steroid Injections (ESIs)
• Prolotherapy
• Regenerative treatments: stem cells and platelet-rich plasma (PRP)

For more information on prolotherapy, click here.

Treatments for neck pain due to a soft tissue injury (i.e. old whiplash injury)

• Anti-inflammatories, Tylenol
• Stronger pain medication
• Prolotherapy

In conclusion…

If neck pain and allergies are interfering with your busy life, seek treatment for both. You may have an undiagnosed neck problem that worsens during allergy season, due to a general state of inflammation in your body. Our experienced NSPC pain specialists can help you.

Allergy Headaches | Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Triggers

Migraine headaches can be caused by many factors, including genetics.  Environmental allergies and food intolerances have been linked to migraines. If you suffer from recurrent migraines, your allergist can help you determine whether you are sensitive to common food allergens like peanuts, eggs or milk. Irritants like smoke or strong scents can also be a migraine trigger.

A sinus headache is caused by swelling in the sinuses that blocks the openings, preventing drainage and causing pressure to build up. Common seasonal and year-round allergens like pollen, mold and pet dander can cause your body’s The immune system plays a role in the control of cancer and other diseases, but also is the culprit in the phenomena of allergies, hypersensitivity and the rejection of transplanted organs, tissues and medical implants.</span>” rel=”tooltip”>immune system to react with a sinus headache, even if you have no other Symptoms of the allergic diseases may be caused by exposure of the skin to a chemical, of the respiratory system to particles of dust or pollen (or other substances), or of the stomach and intestines to a particular food.</span>” rel=”tooltip”>allergy symptoms.

Learn about some common triggers and how to avoid them:

• Hay Fever
• Dust
• Pets
• Mold
• Food (e.g., peanuts, eggs, nuts, milk and shellfish)

How to Get Tested

If you’re suffering from sinus headaches or migraines, your board-certified allergist can help you determine whether they are caused by allergies. Your allergist will take a detailed medical history and review your symptoms before doing allergy tests.

The most common type of allergy testing is skin testing, which is fast and accurate. Your allergist may also conduct blood testing or a food challenge to complete your diagnosis.

This process helps identify the specific triggers that are causing your symptoms. Once you know your triggers, you can work with your allergist to develop a treatment plan and find relief!

Management and Treatment

The best way to manage your allergy headaches is to see an allergist. 

Your allergist can help you develop a plan to manage your allergy symptoms, including headaches. A key step will include minimizing your exposure to the allergens that trigger your allergy headaches. Your allergist may also recommend prescription or nonprescription medications such as antihistamines, decongestants and corticosteroids to help treat your allergies.

Mild over-the-counter pain relievers such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen) may provide short-term relief for sinus headache pain.

These at-home treatments may also help relieve your allergy headaches:

• Apply a warm, moist washcloth to your face several times a day.
• Drink plenty of fluids to thin the mucus.
• Inhale steam two to four times per day (for example, while sitting in the bathroom with the shower running).
• Spray the nose with nasal saline several times per day.
• Use a neti pot to flush the sinuses.

It Could Also Be…

There are many different types of headaches and many potential causes. If your allergist rules out allergies, ask what else might be causing your headaches, such as:

• Alcohol
• Blood clots
• Brain tumor
• Carbon monoxide poisoning
• Changes in sleeping or eating
• Cold or flu
• Concussion
• Dehydration
• Emotional or physical stress
• Glaucoma
• Stroke
• Teeth-grinding at night

Headache and 8 more allergy symptoms

Allergy symptoms are often confused with other diseases: they are attributed to colds, intestinal disorders or even lack of sleep. Someone is generally sure that he is not allergic at all – because he calmly walks through the spring park and can eat tons of chocolate and oranges without ever scratching himself. But allergies aren’t just rashes or red eyes.

All articles 05/24/2022

Head of the Allergology-Immunology Department of LOTOS Medical Center Natalia Abramova named not the most obvious signs of allergy. Check yourself – suddenly some of the signs are familiar to you?

Headache

Atypical sign, which is often overlooked. But if the pressure is in order, the vessels and joints are healthy, you sleep well and there are no other visible reasons for headaches, it is worth visiting an allergist. Especially if it passes in combination with a stuffy nose.

Sneezing and runny nose

A frequent companion of allergies, especially seasonal ones. If there is no temperature, but the runny nose is very plentiful, with transparent discharge, and you want to sneeze several times in a row – perhaps this is not an acute respiratory disease at all, but an allergic reaction. The throat with allergies usually does not hurt – but itching and wheezing are common, don’t let it confuse you.

Tears

If pain in the eyes is added to a runny nose or stuffy nose (and there is still no high temperature), it is worth taking an antihistamine and contacting an allergist. Increased tearing is another common reaction to allergens.

Cough

Allergic cough often begins in the early morning hours, but can also be taken by surprise when in direct contact with allergens: while walking along flowering alleys or in a cafe for a serving of strawberry-nut dessert. How to distinguish from bronchitis? With allergies, there is usually no sputum, or it is transparent, and the cough itself does not bring relief.

Itching

Allergy sufferers often itch mucous membranes: eyelids, nose, throat. And often there is an annoying itching on the skin – and even without noticeable rashes. It can be a reaction to cosmetics, fabric softener, or even some recently eaten product, although sometimes such an itch is simply due to dry skin.

Rashes

The nature of the rashes with allergies can be different: hives with large blisters all over the body, bright red spots on the cheeks, scalp and folds of the arms and legs – or single redness and dots at the points of contact with the allergen (for example, irritation on the hands from woolen mittens). In children, allergies are often confused with chickenpox, but if there is a rash even on the palms and feet, it may still be allergic dermatitis.

Gastrointestinal disorder

A food allergy can look like an intestinal infection: vomiting, diarrhea, pain and pain in the abdomen, in babies – colic and spitting up, problems with digesting food. If the symptoms are repeated on the same berries or fruits, most likely, the matter is precisely in an allergic reaction.

Edema

Puffy eyelids or reddened, inflamed lips are another common allergy symptom. There are more pronounced – and dangerous edema, when the cheek, eye, tongue or palate swells sharply and strongly. This condition is called Quincke’s edema and can occur in response to an insect bite, medication, vaccine, or even while eating. You need to immediately call an ambulance to prevent swelling of the larynx and suffocation.

Weakness and fatigue

These symptoms are familiar to many, and often it’s just a matter of lifestyle, stress or a sleepless night the night before. But sometimes the cause of the smeared condition is, again, an allergy. Especially if from time to time you have other signs of the above.

Did you find at least one symptom? If so, you should definitely consult with an allergist. You can make an appointment with an allergist in Chelyabinsk in 2 minutes on the site lotos74.ru through an online assistant. If necessary, the doctor will recommend taking tests for allergens and prescribe allergy treatment.

All articles 05/24/2022

Our doctors

All specialists

Moiseeva Tatyana Nikolaevna

Head of the Department of Pediatrics, allergist, immunologist, candidate of medical sciences, highest category

Abramova Natalya Nikolaevna

Head of the Department of Allergology-Immunology, Allergist, Immunologist, Candidate of Medical Sciences

Studneva Natalya Aleksandrovna

Allergist, immunologist, candidate of medical sciences

Can Allergies Cause Migraines?

Allergic migraine is a type of headache that can be caused by an allergic reaction. This disorder can start with mild symptoms of allergic rhinitis and then quickly progress to severe headaches.

Zmist

• Allergy and migraine similarity
• Differences between allergies and migraine
• Can allergies cause migraine
• What causes a migraine
• Migraine and food allergy
• Treatment of migraine in people with allergies
• Prevention of migraine in people with allergies
• Pins

However, remember that not all headaches are due to migraines, and allergies do not always lead to migraines. Knowing the difference between allergies and migraines can help you choose the right treatment.

Similarities between allergies and migraines

There are some similarities between allergies and migraine headaches, which include the following:

• Both allergies and allergy-related migraines can occur in response to some triggers.
• Symptoms of exogenous (i.e. caused by the action of external factors) allergies can trigger migraine.
• Both disorders may cause nausea, although nausea is much less common with allergies.

Differences between allergies and migraines

Since the face has a large number of nerves, patients sometimes confuse migraine headaches with headaches in the paranasal sinuses. Although people usually blame it on the allergy, in most cases the allergy alone does not cause a headache unless it is too severe.

In severe cases, when allergies cause sinus pain, this headache causes symptoms that are not present in ordinary migraine pain, for example:

• nasal congestion;
• a feeling of pressure, which increases when a person presses on the skin;
• other allergy symptoms such as itchy eyes or runny nose.

On the other hand, there are some symptoms of migraine that are usually not present with allergies, namely:

• increased sensitivity to light or sounds;
• an aura that causes unusual sensations, such as flickering lights or sounds, even before the onset of headache;
• mood swings.

Can Allergies Cause Migraines

Migraine headaches often result from exposure to environmental, food or sound factors. Migraine headaches are not an allergic reaction. Most likely, the allergen can provoke neurological changes leading to migraines.

There is also evidence of a higher risk of migraine among people with allergies.

One 2012 study compared 46 people with allergies and 60 people without allergies. According to its results, it was found that 37% of people with allergies also suffered from migraines.

What causes migraines

Doctors don’t fully understand what causes migraines. These headaches are a type of neurological headache, which means that they occur when something changes in the brain. While people with migraines often get headaches in response to triggers such as stress or allergens, many people don’t get headaches from these triggers. This suggests that some other factors contribute to the development of migraine to a greater extent. These factors include:

• Hormonal differences and changes in hormonal balance . Migraine headaches are more common in women than men, and many women experience migraines associated with their menstrual cycle.
• Heredity . Researchers have not found a single gene or group of genes that could cause migraine, but at the same time, this disease often affects members of the same family.
• Allergy . People with allergies suffer from migraines much more often.

The following are the most common migraine triggers:

• stress;
• feeling of hunger;
• hormonal changes;
• weather change;
• fatigue;
• neck pain;
• certain smells, such as perfume;
• alcohol;
• too long sleep;
• physical activity;
• certain foodstuffs;
• sex.

Migraine and Food Allergies

American scientists at the National Headache Institute report that while virtually any food can cause migraine pain, the specific food that triggers migraines is often difficult to identify because it does not always cause headaches. For example, eating chocolate can cause a migraine one day, but the next day after eating chocolate, there may be no such pain.

In fact, in most cases of migraine associated with food allergies, the trigger causes migraine only from time to time without a definite pattern.

Treatment of migraine in people with allergies

Treatment of migraine is the same for people with and without allergies. However, people who suffer from migraines caused by allergies should also see a doctor for allergy treatment, as such treatment may eliminate the migraine trigger. Some treatment options for migraine headaches include the following:

Migraine medicines

This is a special medicine (eg triptans) to be taken at the first sign of a migraine to reduce its severity and intensity. Over-the-counter medicine for pain and migraine can also help in this case. The doctor may also prescribe anti-nausea drugs, steroids, or other medicines for acute migraines.

Medicines to prevent migraine

Several different types of medicines, such as beta-blockers, antidepressants, and anticonvulsants, can prevent migraine attacks.

Lifestyle changes

Some migraine sufferers find relief from diet changes, increased exercise, or elimination of known migraine triggers as much as possible.

Psychotherapy

When stress is the trigger for a migraine, psychotherapy can help the person cope with the stress and thereby reduce headaches.

Alternative Remedies

Some people find relief from alternative and complementary therapies such as yoga, acupuncture, or herbs such as flint (butterbur).

Prevention of migraine in people with allergies

According to one 2012 review, people with allergies who receive immunotherapy treatment for allergies are less likely to experience migraines. This suggests that allergy treatment may reduce the risk of migraine in people who have never had migraine but are at risk because of their allergy.

In people with migraine headaches, allergy treatment may reduce the risk of other types of headaches caused by allergies.