Published
It's likely a tension headache and not a migraine. Tension headaches are due to muscle tension either in the neck or scalp area and are the most common type of headache. It is possible for the weight of a stethoscope around the neck to cause tension headaches. Migraine headaches are due to abnormal brain activity and disturbances in blood flow to the brain. Not likely for a stethoscope to cause this at all.
What rubbish!
A stethoscope would definitely not be heavy enough to cause headaches/migraines.
It's probably from people tightening their neck and trapezius muscles from stress, turning people, bending down etc, and the resulting tight muscles trap the nerves and get sore.
Is this an old wive's tale?
Add me to the list of people who gets a headache if I wear my steth around my neck, removing it usually resolves it within a few minutes. I also get a headache if a lead apron shifts and exerts even a small amount of pressure on the back of my neck.
What rubbish!A stethoscope would definitely not be heavy enough to cause headaches/migraines.
It's probably from people tightening their neck and trapezius muscles from stress, turning people, bending down etc, and the resulting tight muscles trap the nerves and get sore.
Is this an old wive's tale?
Multiple up thread report experiencing the same thing, it's hardly "rubbish" or "an old wive's tale".
I have seen someone sling their steth around their neck in a code and the bell whipped around and split their lip and chipped their front tooth (a little extra adrenaline, maybe?). So I tend to put it in a pocket as well. Two people bleeding at the same code is not a good thing.
And if you've got a heavy one and the things right on top of a nerve root, I could see it causing pain. I've known people who would get a headache if they wore a headband to hold back their hair. There's a lot of nerves and blood vessels close to the surface north of the collarbones...
BriRN
44 Posts
Ok, so I've just started my job on a busy floor, and for the past 4-5 weeks I've been getting awful migraines at work and after work... Well i figured it was all just from stress, until I talked to an older nurse when she shared this tidbit. She also suffers from migraines and says that the stethoscope being around her neck is what causes them... Now I totally thought she was nuts, so another RN chimed in and said it was the same way for her.... so I tried this. I started getting a headache the first 3 hours and after i took the stethoscope off from around my neck, it went away... and no sign since...
have you EVER heard anything like this before?!? its NUTS!!
