bad headaches when working out very hard - not water related

[Galadriel]

dd has in the past, and currently finding that she gets SEVERE headaches toward the end of workout - IF she has been really really pushing it, and working out REALLY hard.

it is really frustrating her, and it means that she cant go full out in her routines at the end of practice because of it.

i did the mom thing and said 'drink more water, eat more fruit and veg' and she does drink shed loads of water and eats fruit and veg, so - does anyone know what this might be?

Actually doesnt matter what it might be - just how to get rid of it!

No headaches generally so not a medical issue.

Training normally isnt an issue - just when she really works aerobically really hard.

Any ideas????

 

[Faith]

Could it be the opposite :notadoctor: (well, only a PhD )- she's dehydrating during practice, sweating out salt and only replacing it with water, so becoming electrolyte depleted. Has she tried sports drinks with glucose- Gatorade and the like?

I do think if it's that severe though, it's worth a trip to the Dr :nod: Simple blood pressure and the like to start.

 

[Dezi]

My daughter was having the same issue and the doctor did a urine test to make sure she was not dehydrated, she was not. We then went through her day and realized she was not eating nearly enough calories for the amount they burn at gym. My dd is not a big eater she eats six times a day but the amounts were so small she still was not accumulating very many calories. Now we are making her eat 8 to 10 times a day and healthy but high calorie food(peanut butter ect) and doing more carbs and it has helped a lot. I would get her checked by a doctor and if they cannot find anything keep an eye on her calorie intake. For the record we do not tell our dd she needs to gain weight(which she does) but more calories equal more strength(do not want to giver her a bad body image

 

[Mack_the_Ripper]

It could be her blood sugar. She should eat a good breakfast, lunch, and snack before practice, and can keep a bag of grapes in case this happens again. Sometimes this happens to me, or I get really dizzy and I know either my blood sugar or blood pressure is low.

 

[cher062]

My DD ended up anemic and had to be treated for 3 months for low iron. She was complaining of headaches and dizzyness. I too thought water, eat more, low sugar but it was Iron.

the best thing is to do a visit to your DR and get a routine blood panel done to rule out imbalance in body chemicals.

 

[LMV]

I would disagree that this isn't a medical issue. I'd make an appointment with her regular doctor. Dehydration, hypoglycemia, anemia, blood pressure abnormalities, and many other things could be the potential culprit but her doctor is probably the best person to help you work through this and find an answer.

 

[gymgirl1129]

I sometimes get some headaches in the heat but drinking water and taking 5 minute breaks here and there helps me but my headaches do not really prevent me from pushing too hard. I think you should definitely go to a doctor. This way you will not have to keep worrying about this and you can keep whatever the issue is under control. I am sure a doctor can get to the root of the issue and find a solution better than anyone online can. Finding a solution can also make your DD feel better.

 

[dmytv]

I would think this is medical. Have them do blood work. Also, check her eyes. When my dd was 9 and tumbling on the beam alot she did get headaches. We could not figure it out. It turned out to be that only one eye was farsighted and that the other eye was compensating. Just a thought. Would say that headaches are not the norm.

 

[gymgal]

Where are the headaches? This might help you pinpoint why the are occurring. this is definitely a medical issue. I agree with the others - get a complete blood and urine work-up along with a regular check. If that doesnt reveal anything, I would ask for a stress test where they monitor her through a workout on the treadmill. It may reveal a minor heart murmur or blood pressure problems when the heart is really pumping. And if that reveals nothing it's off to the ENT for balance/vertigo or sinus possibilities. What she is experiencing is not normal. mild headaches might be after flipping all practice (blood rushing to the head), but serious ones like what she says is not normal and needs to be checked out.

 

[cher062]

How old did you say your DD is?? It could be part of puberty too. That flux of hormones raging through a system could cause just about anything.

 

[gym law mom]

I would disagree that this isn't a medical issue. I'd make an appointment with her regular doctor. Dehydration, hypoglycemia, anemia, blood pressure abnormalities, and many other things could be the potential culprit but her doctor is probably the best person to help you work through this and find an answer.

LMV is absolutely right. The question to ask yourself is, "is it normal for a child to have severe headaches after physical activity?" The answer is no. So, she needs to see her MD.

 

[momofagymmie]

We just visited the doctors this morning for the very same reason. The Doctor checked her vision and blood work etc. My DD is in fine shape so he suggested she drink more than just water. She needs to be drinking Gatorade or similar beverage. If this didn't help at all then we have to go back but given her over all good health he thought this was the place to start first.

 

[Galadriel]

thank you all!

We have been away this weekend with brother in law so havent been on email - i think it cant do any harm obviously to see doctor - so i will make an appointment for this week.

In the meantime lets try the electrolyte drink and see what's occuring!

i will keep you posted x

 

[bookworm]

Just noticed this thread and it reminded me of when this happened to my daughter when she was training TOPS...she started coming out of practice after practice saying she had a headache...I didn't usually stay for the practices but after a few days of this complaint (and I knew she had eaten, had enough water etc) , I stayed to see if the workouts were especially strenuous...well, after a period of time, I didn't see her so after practice (and complaining of a headache again) I asked her where she was and she responded, " I was over against the wall for my 45 minutes of body shaping" and I asked her what that was and she replied " I have to be in HANDSTAND for at least 45 minutes with proper body shaping to be allowed to come down; longer if my shaping isn't good"....so i asked her,"when did you start getting headaches?" and of course the response was " after I come down from my handstand"....so I would investigate whether or not your daughter was doing any such ridiculous drill (which I promptly put an end to and lo and behold, no more headaches!!)...and her body shapes are fine, BTW.

 

[ginnymac]

Bookworm....do you really mean maintain a handstand for 45 MINUTES!!! Ridiculous

 

[bookworm]

Bookworm....do you really mean maintain a handstand for 45 MINUTES!!! Ridiculous

Yes I mean 45 minutes! henceforth, the headaches!

 

[cher062]

We just visited the doctors this morning for the very same reason. The Doctor checked her vision and blood work etc. My DD is in fine shape so he suggested she drink more than just water. She needs to be drinking Gatorade or similar beverage. If this didn't help at all then we have to go back but given her over all good health he thought this was the place to start first.

Oh yes that was part of my DD's issues too in addition to the low iron he wanted her to dring one bottle of water and one bottle of gatoraid type drink at every practice and finish them both during the practice.

it seemed to do the trick. After the Iron issue was resolved he still wanted the water and gatoraid to cointinue especially in the summer months.

 

[fuzi]

Yes I mean 45 minutes! henceforth, the headaches!

This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.

 

[bookworm]

This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.

me too...and we are no longer at that gym anymore...