Can anyone recommend a good online web site or forum or Usenet
newsgroup to post the following please. Of course, I'd also welcome
any suggestions here too.

---------

I've been suffering from headaches for 5 months or so. Because they
consistently start (or get immediately worse) when I bend down, or
reach or strain hard I suspected sinusitis. My GP concurred (after a
blood test etc, with normal results). A scan then organised by a
consultant did show some minor sinus blockage. Because I'd had this
for months and was getting well and truly fed up I went ahead and had
an operation on my nose (apparently commonplace ops, FESS something or
other, OPCS codes E0360, E1432, one day in hospital). I'm recovering
fine from that ("2 weeks until discomfort pretty well disappears, up
to 6 weeks for full healing")  - but it's made not a jot of difference
to the headaches.

So I'm still looking for a cause. I'm coming to the conclusion that it
has to be related to my excessive computer usage. I'm probably at my
desktop using my PC for 10-12 hours per day in total, maybe 5 or 6
days a week. I *think* I'm sitting properly, with top of screen (24"
wide LCD) correctly at eye level height, about 27" away.

Although I do get eye strain, I don't think that's the cause, or
primary cause. I had eye tests and a thorough check by my local
optometrist (or is it ophthalmologist?) and was OK. I even spent
heavily to get my varifocals from 95% to 100%, and bought an new pair
of fixed prescription specs just for use at the PC, such was my
desperation to get rid of these headaches.

Homing in on my main point then: is it possible that it could be
somehow due to NECK strain? Or some other similar muscular issue,
related to posture? Although the pain seems focused around my temples,
at the side of my eyes, and vaguely around my forehead, I get the
impression that when I bend down the muscles leading up the back and
sides of my neck are very tight.

I appreciate that one good test of this would be to give up my PC
usage for a month or whatever, and it might come to that. But I'd very
much prefer to get some expert views first please.

-- 
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

Terry Pinnell wrote:
> Can anyone recommend a good online web site or forum or Usenet
> newsgroup to post the following please. Of course, I'd also welcome
> any suggestions here too.
> 
> ---------
> 
> I've been suffering from headaches for 5 months or so. Because they
> consistently start (or get immediately worse) when I bend down, or
> reach or strain hard I suspected sinusitis. My GP concurred (after a
> blood test etc, with normal results). A scan then organised by a
> consultant did show some minor sinus blockage. Because I'd had this
> for months and was getting well and truly fed up I went ahead and had
> an operation on my nose (apparently commonplace ops, FESS something or
> other, OPCS codes E0360, E1432, one day in hospital). I'm recovering
> fine from that ("2 weeks until discomfort pretty well disappears, up
> to 6 weeks for full healing")  - but it's made not a jot of difference
> to the headaches.
> 
> So I'm still looking for a cause. I'm coming to the conclusion that it
> has to be related to my excessive computer usage. I'm probably at my
> desktop using my PC for 10-12 hours per day in total, maybe 5 or 6
> days a week. I *think* I'm sitting properly, with top of screen (24"
> wide LCD) correctly at eye level height, about 27" away.
> 
> Although I do get eye strain, I don't think that's the cause, or
> primary cause. I had eye tests and a thorough check by my local
> optometrist (or is it ophthalmologist?) and was OK. I even spent
> heavily to get my varifocals from 95% to 100%, and bought an new pair
> of fixed prescription specs just for use at the PC, such was my
> desperation to get rid of these headaches.
> 
> Homing in on my main point then: is it possible that it could be
> somehow due to NECK strain? Or some other similar muscular issue,
> related to posture? Although the pain seems focused around my temples,
> at the side of my eyes, and vaguely around my forehead, I get the
> impression that when I bend down the muscles leading up the back and
> sides of my neck are very tight.
> 
> I appreciate that one good test of this would be to give up my PC
> usage for a month or whatever, and it might come to that. But I'd very
> much prefer to get some expert views first please.
> 


	I'm  no headache expert, but it certainly may be due to computer 
use--either due to eyestrain or to muscle fatigue in the neck and shoulders.
	Since this seems to be posture-dependent (or at least the onset is) 
it's natural to suspect sinus problems, but I certainly would have had a 
more complete headache workup prior to having sinus surgery.  Some 
medical centers (esp. those university based) have multidisciplinary 
head/facial pain centers.  I would definitely try this route rather than 
going from pillar to post, and esp. before enduring surgery which does 
not address the primary complaint.  (I'm not saying that the surgery 
might not have been recommended anyway, I'm just saying there are many 
other things that might have been checked out first).

Steve

-- 
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001