Airplane Headache
Cartoon Reenactment of JetBlue Flight Attendant’s Dramatic Exit
No, the term "airplane headache" does not refer to disgruntled JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater (or to being a passenger on that flight). Instead, it refers to a recently characterized type of headache that occurs during take-off and landing (Atkonson & Lee, 2004). The pain appears to be unique to plane travel and not associated with other conditions. Neurological exam and brain imaging results in all published cases (n=14) have been normal.
A new case study of a man with airplane headaches has been reported by Domitrz (2010). Clinical details are as follows:
A 29-year-old healthy man, who works as a psychologist, reported that during his last airplane journey, he developed a very severe and sudden jabbing headache located in the left frontal region with radiation into the left eye. It started during take-off, diminished during the 2-h flight, a very mild pain was present during the flight and increased during plane’s descent and lasted until a few minutes after landing. Then, the pain completely and spontaneously subsided. The same situation took place 3 days later when the patient was returning. He remembers that he had similar, but milder headaches during previous flights. However, they occurred only during airplane flights and did not develop during jumbo jet flights. Similar headache did not appear in other altitude variation moments, e.g. in mountain trips.The pain was always located in the left frontal region with radiation into the left eye without any autonomic symptoms and neurological focal problems. He could not move until the headache disappeared. The patient has no medical history of sinus problems and using any medications. The family history has shown only tension type headache in patient’s 4 years older sister. General (including blood pressure and heart rate), neurological, otolaryngological and ophthalmological examinations were normal. Brain magnetic resonance imaging also with angiography excluded any structural lesions and arterial malformations.Domitrz (2010) further notes that most reported cases have been in young males, as is her patient. She is also puzzled by why he gets these headaches only on airplanes that are not jumbo jets -- perhaps it is connected with differences in air pressure, she speculates.
What causes this specific type of headache? One view is that barotrauma is involved, with pressure changes affecting the trigeminovascular system (Berilgen & Müngen, 2006):
We think that barotrauma caused by pressure changes in the cabin during take-off and landing could affect ethmoidal nerves (branching from the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve) that carry the senses of the mucosa on the inner surface of the paranasal sinuses, and/or nociceptors in ethmoidal arteries, thereby activating the trigeminovascular system and leading to headache.It's enough to make someone attempt an emergency exit!
ADDENDUM (added July 24, 2011): A new paper found that triptan drugs (used to treat migraines and cluster headaches) may be effective in preventing airplane headaches (Ipekdal et al., 2011). The abstract is reprinted below.
Ipekdal HI, Karadaş O, Oz O, Ulaş UH. Can triptans safely be used for airplane headache? Neurol Sci. 2011 May 10. [Epub ahead of print].
A few cases of airplane headache (AH) have been reported in the literature. Treatment strategies of AHs are also controversial. We followed-up five patients with AH. They were symptom-free during the daytime. Their physical, neurological, and ear-nose-throat examinations were all normal. Blood chemistries, cerebral magnetic resonance imaging, cerebral magnetic resonance imaging angiography, and paranasal sinus tomography studies of the patients were also normal. We preferred triptans because of the possible effect on the mechanism of AH. Patients were recommended to use single-dose of their drugs half an hour prior to flights. All of the patients had a good response to single dose triptan treatment and became headache-free during flights. This is the first study which puts forward the usefulness of the triptans as a safe treatment choice for airplane AH.
References
Atkonson V, Lee L. (2004). An unusual case of an airplane headache. Headache 44:438–439
Berilgen MS, Müngen B. (2006). Headache associated with airplane travel: report of six cases. Cephalalgia 26:707-11.
Domitrz, I. (2010). Airplane headache: a further case report of a young man. The Journal of Headache and Pain DOI: 10.1007/s10194-010-0245-9
posted by The Neurocritic @ 1:58 PM
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86 Comments:
Has anyone considered vibrations resonating at differing frequencies in larger or smaller cabins? Or vibrations in conjunction with pressure changes?
21 year old male right here reporting the exact same phenomenon.
Last two plane trips I had this on the descent, including sensitivity to light + loss of attention focus.
Anonymous - I don't know that any of the articles have considered vibrations...
shamus - It's probably a lot more common than what has been reported in the literature. Do you ever have migraines? I ask because sensitivity to light is one of your symptoms.
Marchioretto F, Mainardi F, Zanchin G. (2008). Airplane headache: a neurologist's personal experience. Cephalalgia 28(1):101.
One of the authors talks about his experience of airplane headaches. He had a history of sinus problems from 14 to 22 yrs of age. Then at 29, while on his second flight ever:
"...while approaching the landing (the plane was approximatively 500 m above the airport), he experienced a sudden, sharp pain of very high intensity located in the right periorbital region, associated with profuse tearing, conjunctival injection and ptosis... During the attack he was irritable and found it difficult to stay in his seat."
He found naproxen to be very effective:
"An inconsistent action of ibuprofen has been described. This is the first report of the apparent good effectiveness of naproxene in this condition: a very simple preventive therapy with this drug proved successful in avoiding further attacks.
We expect this form of headache not being rare in the general population: it is probably underreported due to its short duration and spontaneous remission. Therefore, this simple therapeutic measure, if its efficacy is confirmed in other cases, could be of help, avoiding an unpleasant and worrying condition that could, as might have been in the present case, limit the use of air travel for many people."
I started experiencing this in the last few years -- absolutely brutal, stabbing pain upon take-off and/or landing, sometimes accompanied by lots of tearing in one eye. So now I take an over-the-counter sinus med before I fly, and if I start to feel some pain, I hold my nose and keep gently blowing out my ears, and that seems to help.
I've maybe had 2-3 migraines in my life; no other headache history.
This is the unequivocal, final, non-negotiable answer about why people develop 'airplane headache' -- low oxygen.
Airlines do not create a "sea level atmosphere" when the plane is at however many thousand feet it flies, to get from A to B.
Some people have heart attacks while the plane is still in the air -- from the lower levels of oxygen -- and some don't have that heart attack (or die in their sleep) until the next day.
Tissues become depleted of oxygen over the length of the flight. In addition to personal susceptibilities, very long flights mean there is a lot of time to suck the oxygen right out of a person.
And the barometric changes don't help, of course. They just add to the problem.
I have all the symptoms. Jabbing Pain on my left side. So far it happened twice only during descent.
Is there any medicine available?
Thanks
Rajesh
25 years old male reporting the same thing. I have been on a plane lots of times, but it has just happenned twice: a couple years ago and today. I think it´s more common than it seems, but it hurts a lot. You think your head is gonna explode...
I have been flying a lot for last 5-6 years. since last 2 years I have been experiencing this intense pain starting from the back of the neck radiating to the the middle of the two eyes, help me to find some medication for this problem
Hey, I often get a boner when I fly.
Best guess is that it has something to do with a combination of pressure changes making engorgement easier, vibrational stimulation of my pudendal plexus and pretty air-hostesses, causing some kind of sympathetic NS vasoconstriction.
Similar processes (specifically the effects of mechanical vibration and pressure changes, possibly also rapid changes in atmospheric humidity), may be affecting the cranial sensory afferents to produce the reported pain?!
I had this exact same problem today the flight was only 1hr. No problems on take-off or during flight, but on the descent the pain started on the left front side of my forehead, travelled onto the left eye region. (BTW a few commenters have said left side, anyone know the reason why it happens on the left only, as happened me) The pain for me was excrutiating. I thought my eyeball was going to explode. had an ache in the region for a few hrs after but seems to have gone now.
I am a 35yo male and recently experienced the exact same stabbing pain in my left eye upon landing. My nasal mucous contained blood for the next 3-4 days as well. Has anybody else experienced bleeding associated with these headaches?
On my recent return flight Chicago to NJ, when we began our half hour descent, I was hit with the worst pain ever experienced - only in the left half of my head - like a 1,000 hot stabbing needles/knives were jabbing into my head. It began over the left eye, then around & behind the left eye, to the top left half of my head, to the upper left jaw and over toward my ear. But it remained mostly centered around/behind my left eye. I thought my eye or head was going to explode. I was in such pain they called for a doctor on the plane, then was examined by paramedics at the airport and sent to the local hosp's ER and had a CAT Scan. (The intensity subsided greatly upon landing, but my head remained feeling very sore and traumatized.) The Scan show "slight sinus disease" according to the doctor. The ENT doctor said my sinuses, nose and throat looked great/clear afterwards. My reg. doctor said blood tests showed nothing. I now plan to see a neurologist. I don't think I can ever fly again until I know why it happened and how to prevent it again! I have flown extensively all over the world and this has never happened. I did not have a cold, no nasal drip, nor was I congested at all. Then I read this article and everyone's comments which sounded exactly what I had experienced.
It sounds like I might be the only female reporting such a problem, as well as the only person with it happening on the right side.... As my plane began its descent into Milwaukee last night I experienced the most terrifying pain imaginable and was removed from the plane by paramedics immediately when the plane landed. I have flown many many times, and this was my fourth flight in as many days. When I boarded the plane, no cold, allergy, sinus problems, but I was very restless the whole ride. Then the plane felt like it was 100 degrees and I could not breathe, suddenly both nostrils were completely blocked (but I could find no way to clear them as I did not have a runny nose, and it did not feel "stuffed", but it was definitely blocked suddenly.) almost as immediately as that happened I felt the most extreme pain right above my right eye, right where the eyebrow bone is (no where else). I honestly thought that at any moment that part of my brain would explode. I knew I wasn't having a stroke, but I thought maybe an annuerism. I had to call the flight attendant as I was sure I was going to die or at least was having something very traumatic happen to my brain!!! This is no exaggeration.. The pain eased as the plane taxied in to the gate, but I still had a moderate headache in that same spot. I actually was quite embarrased by the number of paramedics that showed up to help me because by that point I was standing and walking on my own. The paramedics as well as myself, figured I probably had a sinus infection (even though I have never had one, and this has never happened on a flight before.) So I expected to wake up very sick this morning with severe sinus pressure, but alas, no sinus problems or pressure at all!!! The only thing is a continued mild headache on right brow bone radiating up to my forehead. Is this the same thing???
Hi, 35 year old male here. Had almost no sleep before taking a one hour flight and felt extreme pain on the center of my forehead and spreading to the eyebrow area. My pores around the area felt itchy also. This all happened right before the pilot announced his first approach to land. The pain continued for 20-30 minutes but it was unbearable (from a 1 to 10 scale, it hit 11). I suppose the change in altitude caused this? One said that the lack of oxygen was the culprit? I am bound to fly again early next month and I am very worried to go through this ordeal again.
31-year-old male. This happened once before when I flew with a head cold and I couldn't pop my ears. I could just feel the pressure building and pow... the ball-peen hammer slammed into my left eyebrow.
Last night on my flight into Newark I actually got quite scared as I was just leaning forward trying to shut my eyes and wham! I thought I blew a blood vessel or something. Now, ~15 hours later, I only feel a dull pain in my eyebrow.
Does anyone really know why this occurs? I found this
http://www.britannica.com/bps/additionalcontent/18/31739286/Severe-Jabbing-Headache-Associated-with-Airplane-Travel
Frankly, I'm wondering if we gain increased susceptibility to this, e.g. chances increase the more you have it. I'm getting worried about flying again.
And to follow-up to Anonymous on Dec 4th, I was also on the Chicago-to-NJ last night, on a Continental flight. And my previous headache was on a Continental flight. It has never happened on countless other airlines with whom I've flown.
This might be a ridiculous hypothesis, especially since correlation does not equal causation, but perhaps certain airlines fly certain planes or having operating procedures that make us more susceptible?
I just experienced this for the first time a couple days ago on a Delta flight from Detroit to Los Angeles. I never get headaches and it was during landing only. but, the pain was from the temples through the forhead and I thought a blood vessel in my forhead may burst because it was literally so intense. I turned on the overhead air just in case I thought it may be an oxygen depletion, and I didn't notice it helping, but it may have been too late.
To give others some insight at any commonalities, I'm a 31 yo male who has never had a sinus or headache issue. I was sleep deprived the night before. And, I say this because many patients I have read about seem to be male... I had a lot of sex the night before. Sorry to be crude, but I am wondering why mainly only males in our age group? So, there is my info and hope maybe it helps someone else find a commonality. My headache also ended by the time we deplaned. Cabin preassure I'm sure, but why all males and are we doing something to increase chances of this?
I am a 30 year old female, and was only on a 1 hour flight, 15 minutes before landing i had the same symptoms, i thought my head was going to explode and thought something serious was happening to my brain!
i started to get the pain over my eyes then through the middle of my head then down to my neck area.
i did have a bit of a cold but nothing major! and as soon as i got on the plane my nose started to run, so it has to be something to do with my sinuses, just by reading other people's comments.
i have been on alot of flights and this has never happened to me before, i feel a bit at ease now that there are quite a few other people who had the same problem.
Same thing I am a 25 yr old male and I had fallen asleep on jet blue when I woke up we were already decending and I had the worst headache over my left eye and the my forehead felt like pins and needles but sensitive to the touch I thought I had slept wrong cuz the back of my neck was also sore then I felt my nose running so I grabbed the napkin under my drink and when I blew my nose it was all blood it soon went away after we landed but still freaked me out
Actually glad to hear its not just me. Happens about a third of the time I fly and I fly a lot. Exact description. Jabbing pain in forehead (left side mostly). Makes me cry automatically and I'm a fairly tough 30 year old man. This pain reduces me to a little girl. Most people don't understand what I'm talking about when i describe how bad it is insisting it must be a migraine, but it only happens on flight descents and then comes back later in the night.
31 years old male reporting from Australia the same problem..
First time I felt the same symptoms when the flight was landing...It was just 1 hour flight..
After that, I have not been in a flight until I travel today..it is 1 hours and 10 minutes travel one way and I returned same day...I didn't feel anything during take off and travelling...I felt a terrible pain in right eye and forehead..felt like my arteries in my eyes are going to blast..and so irritated..
During the return journey...felt the same thing during landing..this time it was more severe than before...the pain developed to the left eye and forehead..and my eyes became full of tears...
I feel the same every time!
MEDICINE: try white wine and get a little drunk!
HELPS ME!!!!
I am a 58 year old woman with a long history of migraines and I experience excruciating pain in airplanes primarily on descent. Definitely sinus related, though I can breathe fine. It feels like an intense "brain freeze". Mine are bilateral, forehead and nasal. Makes me cry and I can feel the pain for up to a day though much diminished. I have also experienced pain when driving over the mountains once. I don't think vibration has a thing to do with it. It is pressure change for sure. I have taken homeopathic Borax with some success, took Sudafed this last time and seemed to work but has given me rash. Anyone have any other natural solutions?
As a pilot I can tell you that cabin pressure in modern aircraft at altitude is usually around 5,000-7,000 feet, roughly equivalent to Denver, CO. It takes time to adjust to higher altitudes, but this usually only takes a short period of time.
Some people, however, are more susceptible to problems, in particular those who smoke or who have lung problems.
Pressure changes should be rather minor on climb out or descent unless we are forced to make a rapid descent or climb, so that should not be the problem.
No doubt being in a pressurized vessel can cause problems with sinuses which can lead to pressure in the head.
Best solution - chew gum during takeoff and landing, breath deeply and just relax.
Can't stand the pain from flying? Stay on the ground and just fly a rubber band airplane and drive to your next destination!
I had a similar incident, however it was while driving from Seattle to California. I was sleeping during the drive, and woke up high in a mountain with a lot of pressure in my head, so I yawned to release the pressure like I always do, and there was an imediate excruciating pain behind my right eye that remained until we descended from the mountain. I get very upset when people call it a headache or migrain, this pain was like nothing I have ever experienced, definately not simply a headache. I am an ex-boxer, and have broken my are several times, and shattered the bones in my hands twice each. The pain behind my eye was 10 times worse than any other injury I have ever endured, and considered jumping from the car to get the pain to stop.
The pain went away when we came off of the mountain, so I thought it might have been a one time incident, and had to get back to Seattle some how, so I took a double dose of a very powerfull narcotic pain reliever ( several times higher than what you are given after surgery or for broken bones), yet on the way back it happened again, and the pain reliever couldn't even take the edge off. I am too scared to drive to a high altitude, and haven't left the state since. Reading everyones comments, I guess I won't be flying either.
36 yr old male. I have these same crippling episodes approx. 25% of the flights I take and always during descent. Seen my Doctor about this condition last week since it seems to be chronic and knowing I was to be flying again in a few days. He said use Afrin nasal spray B4 and during flight...it didnt work.
I'm a 19 yo female, and this has happened on landing of the last three flights I've been on, but never before. The first time it happened it felt like my fillings in my teeth were expanding and were going to explode and the pain shot up to my head. The last two times I thought I burst a blood vessel or something in my head because of the pain and intense pressure. I was sleep-deprived, but no cold or allergy or sinus problems at all
41 year old male, non-smoker. same things happened to me several times on descent, severe pins and needles on one side for 20 to 30 mins... anyway, the one thing i noticed was that this happened almost everytime i rode a specific airline but didnt occur on another airline.
Could it be there is difference in pressurization upon descent among different airlines?
Actually I had exactly the same headaches 3-4 times in my life. The worst headaches you could ever imagine. Increasing with rapid altitude changes (landing and taking off), and typically on the left temporal areas (twice, and twice was generalized), very severe headaches. I'm mildly asthmatic and seasonal allergic rhinitis. and I noticed those attacks were markedly more severe the less I had sleep before the journeys..
mainardi et al first proposed the diagnostic criteria. he presented the results of their study in a platform presentation in the international headache congress, held in berlin 23-26th june. send aswer to him for informations
mainardi et al first proposed the diagnostic criteria. he presented the results of their study in a platform presentation in the international headache congress, held in berlin 23-26th june. send aswer to him for informations (federico.mainardi@ulss12.ve.it)
25 years old, same problem. I haven't had non of those aches before on my flights. and every time its getter worser. now its my second day of being in london (istanbul -> london) and every night I got minor aches in exact areas!
30 year old male. Nonsmoker. mild sinus history. Had this several times during landing. (never on take off) But the first happened when I was 15, riding down from a mountain in a car. It was like someone was torturing me by sticking needles to my head (around eyes and cheeks). The last happened just today and made me search the net one more time about this issue and found this blog. I had two flights today (each 2 hour flights on Delta), and had the pain on right eye in the first flight. It was again like needles passing through. And my right eye teared up so bad that a napkin and whole my face got wet. Then my nose started running (right nostril) and pain relieved slowly when the plane landed. In the second flight, although I was always trying to yawn, make sure nostrils are open, the pain started on the left side. This time it was like left side of my head is gonna explode. I just had a one hour sleep before the flight.
I felt severe pain when the aircraft was landing. my forehead especially above right eye...the pain was unbearable. This happened 2 days back. I have felt this pain on one more occasion. Anyone knows about the cure?
A new paper found that triptan drugs (used to treat migraines and cluster headaches) may be effective in preventing airplane headaches (Ipekdal et al., 2011).
I've reprinted the abstract as an addendum to this post.
I have the exact same problem on my last four or five flights in the past two years all on smaller airplanes.
From Saudi Arabia 25 year old male had the same problem last night going back from Riyadh to Jeddah. I also had the same problem in China and in the US. The worst pain I ever had in my life. I thought I was going to die. I was waiting for a blood vessel to burst. My left eye was tearing. Stabbing pain behind my left eye. I didn't know what to do. It happened like 6 times on different airlines in different countries. It was always so painful I wished I was dead and not feeling like that. pain goes away as the plane lands. mild headache in the same spot remains for a day or two. Last time it happened I didn't sleep much before the flight so maybe sleep deprivation has something to do with it?
Hey I've had several of these headaches, the severe pain behind my left eye on landing. I'm a 26 yo white male and am very active.
To whoever said it was lack of oxygen I can tell you this can't be it, I work in Colorado during the ski season and routinely hike at over 12,000 ft up mountains in the snow with no problem and live at 9,000 ft. So my red blood cell count is higher than the average americans by far allowing me to get much more oxygen to my body per breath, but I still suffer these headaches.
I think it happens most when I'm tired, I saw others mentioned being sleepy or waking up, its the worst way to wake up thats for sure.
I have had several concussions and always thought it was a result of that. This last one happened last summer and I got a concussion, flew from NC to AZ the next day with no problems. On the way back 6 day later I had several airplane bottles of rum to help me sleep since I was taking a red eye. I woke up with the aforementioned eye pain, it felt like my eye was going to explode. It happened when I landed in newark for my lay over and then again when I landed in Raleigh. I thought it was something to do with the alcohol and the concussion. But this time I had headaches for the next 3 months and couldn't drink any alcohol without getting drunk off half a beer and then a few minutes later a severe hangover type headache would set in. Don't know if this was connected with it, but i haven't flown since. I'll repost again if it happens when I fly and try not to get a concussion before my trip again.
I have these exact symptoms as mentioned in the article. I only get this pain when flying on small airplanes. The first time I thought my head was literally going to burst and that some vessel was bursting in my brain. When it happened the second time, I thought I'm not going crazy. The stabbing pain is so severe. I thought I would have seizure. This last time I had a somewhat milder version. I chewed gum all the way - really hard and I kept eating strong mints to clear my head. It worked a little. I'm so glad to read that I'm not the only one. I used to suffer from migraines, haven't for a long time. Thanks for posting this article.
Hey, i am a 17 year old girl who has experienced the same type of pain you guys have ben talking about... But the biggest difference for me was that it started with me when i was 12/13 on a flight to Jamaica. And with me, the pains don't occur in my eye but around my jaw bones, right underneath my ear and the back of my head... I'm reading all of these comments and i'm starting to get more scared... I'm in America now but i live in Europe, i'm actually kind of scared to fly back to Europe in 2 weeks.. I'd rather go back by boat than by plane :(
I am so glad to hear others are experiencing this...I am a 26 year old female and have flown frequenly my whole life both long and short haul. but the last year while landing I get horrible pain in my head its so bad it makes me feel faint. I feel my head is going to explode and it actually burst blood vessels in my eyes. The pain usually subsides once the plane has landed.
I was so worried I thought there was something seriously wrong with me strange there are not many female suffers.
I have had several times the same symptoms described by the majority of the people, severe pain in left eye and forehead. I have just come from a flight and I also experienced a very traumatic pain, although this time it has been while the plane was flying at high altitude, and the pain has been more spread over the head. I know for sure preassure is an important factor, as I had been experiencing severe pain during the whole flight and "magically" it disappeared the moment the plane started to descend. I has also been deprived of sleep the last nights, I am male and 34. I can also confirm that similar episodes have happened to me in small airplanes, never on wide-body aircrafts, so probably small aircrafts are worse pressuriced than the big ones, we could complain to airline companies about that! Thank you all for sharing your experience, it is conforting knowing that many people have the same problem.
I am 36 female and quite relieved to know that I ain't the only one undergoing all these symptoms. cure? after the episode i asked around and i was told to chew chewing gum. I did and it worked. so now I carry heaps of chewing gum when i fly.
I has septoplasty surgery in January 6, 2011 and left for a vacation to Hawaii February 10, 2011 and flew in a smaller aircraft to Chicago. When we started to desend the pain in my forehead area in unbearable. I contributed it to the surgery. I was seen by two doctors in Chicago's airport and was given a nasal spray and some pills which I took 1/2 when we took off and then I took that other half about one hour before landing in Honolulu. The pain was there but no at all what it was like landing in Chicago. On the way I also used the spray and the pills and still felt some pain. I am off to New York in two weeks and I am very nervous to fly again because of the pain. Sincy my surgery I sound like I have a cold all the time and I am forever blowing my nose. Any words of wisdom for me????
33 year old male reporting the exact same excruciating pain. It is so intense, feels like head may actually explode at points. What is this? How can you treat it?
34 year old female with exactly the same problems as described by others. i don't smoke and never had any sinus problems. i fly relatively frequent (20-30 times per year). the first time was some months ago and since then i have flown a couple of times without any problems until yesterday it happened again. like others have said, the pain is really really bad and i thought my head was going to explode.
I had this exact situation happen during a plane's descent; I thought I might be having a brain hemorrhage or something, it was so painful in/behind my eyes.
I was able to feel increasing levels of pain with each drop, one more excruciating than the next.
A thoughtful stewardess brought me some aspirin and a hot moistened towel, and said she saw the same thing happen every few flights.
The pain lasted for at least an hour afterwards, but definitely dulled over time after landing.
I have had no abnormal neurological exam results (have had CT scans and a cranial MRI for a subsequent injury), no heart, blood pressure or other relevant issues.
What I do have is a solution that seems to work: Afrin nose spray, before takeoff and when the first announcement is made that we're approaching our destination.
Never had a repeat problem, though did once or twice start to feel my eye twitter a bit during turbulence that forced us up and down unexpectedly. Never enough to get the migraine, though.
It's a pretty horrifying experience overall, but seems to be managed with nose spray.
Ok so after reading a lot I have an analysis for myself with as many factors as I could take into account and have listed them here:
1. Dryness of sinuses was most probably the reason for my pain. This is of course while I already had congestion. The following added to dryness for me:
a. had too much caffeine that day
b. had a cold drink on board with ice
c. had cold air blowing on my head
d. sat next to the window and peered out
e. cabin air is dry
f. IMPORTANT: I had been taking anti-histamines for a week. They seem to work differently (need to confirm with your doctor though). Basically I think an antihistamine dries up mucus but a decongestant drains mucus.
2. The plane was smaller so that may have contributed too.
Solutions that I read on msg boards that worked:
1. Someone mentioned the air-hostess gave them two styrofoam cups with hot towels that they put to their ears and got almost instant relief.
2. Order a warm drink during the flight before landing like hot tea (tea has much less caffeine than coffee). Warm/hot water might be best though.
3. Sit in the isle seat rather than the window seat.
That's all folks
Have a safe next flight
I have had this issue for almost 35 years. Some flights I Haney no issue at all and some flights I feel like I might die. Small commuter jets are worse, large jumbo jets better. I really think it depends on how well the aircraft manages the pressurization. Don't know if this is automated or pilot controlled. I have found a medication fix that seems to work most of the time. About 1.5 hours before landing (landing is worse) I take 4 Ibuprofen and 2 Sudafed. This seems to really help but I can still have issues. Wish I knew what the real issue was.
I am a 52 year old female and have never had problems with flights in the past other than mild headaches. I recently took a two hour flight which seemed uneventful. The next day my left temporal area from forehead to upper jaw was very soar as if I had been hit by something. It was very tender to the touch. A few days later I began to develop a black eye and it progressively became worse over several days. My eye showed no sign of blood but the lids and eye socket area was extremely bruised. The doctor suggested that I may have burst a blood vessel in my left temporal forehead area and the blood has been settling around the eye socket area. So, Joel, yes I have experienced some sign of bleeding, although only within tissue.
Wow, I'm so glad I found this site. I just got back from Las Vegas last night and I had this exact same thing. I felt fine during the takeoff but on the way down about 15 minutes from landing I all of a sudden got a SEVERE stabbing pain behind my lft eyeball and up towards the brow area. I thought I was having an annyuerism like someone else mentioned. I jumped out of my seat (I wasn't supposed to because theseatbelt lights were on) and ran into the bathroom to see if my eye was gushing blood because thats what it felt like. Then it subsided after landing and its the next day and I have only a slight dull ache in that area. I'm thinking it might be some sort of pressure thing with fluids and/or mucous behind the eye. Thats just how it feels to me, and I have a problem already with too much phlegm in my lungs. But I hope it doesnt get worse.
57 yr.old female. I experienced a terrible stabbing pain in my left eye on descent on an AA flight from Santa Ana to Chicago. This has never happened to me before. I seriously thought maybe a had an aneurysm. I could not move and only spoke to my husband regarding it in the plane, it lessened on arrival,but I still have an ache at eyebrow level on the left side. Sinus's?..looking for some answers to this SCARE...thanks
Hi, 32 year female who experiences the same symptoms every landing at sea level or near sea level (as in Berlin). The first time I experienced it was during landing in Lisbon. I thought I was having a stroke! i felt a terrible pain from the base of my head, going up to the whole head, jaws and ears. The pain continued for up to 2 hours after landing. i took a pain killer and it stopped.
46 Yr old female, never had a problem Flying until this week. On descent into Spain from UK, excruciating stabbing pain in right temple, so bad I was convinced my eye was going to pop out. It subsided shortly after touchdown. On return to UK last night, again on beginning descent, awful same pain, this time in the left temple and eye, so bad I was almost crying, as much with fear as pain as to what the hell was happening. I can honestly say I've never felt pain like it and I think I'll be scared to fly and risk that pain ever again. After collecting luggage, I was dizzy and sick, so much that I was walking to taxi vomiting into a plastic bag. I'm here 24 hrs later, still in excruciating pain over left eye that painkillers just won't touch. Did all the right things, chewed gum, yawned, stayed hydrated. Totally puzzled, but reassured it's not just me!
I am a 33 year old female and feel this excruciating pain every time I land on an airplane now..... this was a pain that I had felt a couple of times and now it's almost EVERY time that I land. It feels like I cam going to have an anneurism.... Is there anything that can be done?
for those of you that experience the pins and needles near the eye area and the excruciating pain, here is my remedy:
Eye drops/artificial tears
the ones that are the chemical free and do not have a limit on the number of drops. the reason being, I basically start using the eye drops just before boarding and then keep using it every 30-45mins.
It prevents the inside of the eyes getting dry and ensures the vessels behind the eye are moist enough.
Ever see how a plastic bottle is crushed inwards when the plane is about to land? that is exactly what is happening to the vessels inside, and if the vessels are moist enough, it helps.
The air quality in the planes is not what it used to be. Basically the air is recirculated and extremely dry, so use the eye drops every 30-45mins and arrive at your destination pain free!
Yep happened to me when landing arriving and departing. As stated the pain was to the left of my face and started in my tooth. It quickly spead to my forehead and or really sharp for a good 10 mins. This is the 1st time I have ever had this.
My daughter just had this happen yesterday and it scared both her and I. However, her stabbing pain was on both eyes - traveling from the right to the left. I didn't know what to do and was almost in a panic state of mind worrying about her. She's 21 years old and started crying because it hurt so much. I'm sorry to say, I'm glad I found that there are others out there who experienced this as well. She does have a cold and I told her that I believed it was probably from her sinus' being inflamed. Now I'll let her know that naproxin, triptan (maybe a couple from the doc for the flights) and afrin may help. Thanks to all who have posted with their results and insight!
27/male, history of mild headaches; have also experienced this on several flights--almost always on descent
27 yr old male, flew Newark to Ft Lauderdale returned the next day same thing happened both flights for the first time in my life and I fly a lot. It started as an itchy stabbing pain in the skin on my forehead then moved to my right eyebrow and then behind my right eye. My eye teared up I looked like I was crying the pain was so bad I felt like I was going to go blind... I wanted someone to pinch me in the face to make the feeling go away, once we landed it subsided now it feels as if my eye brow and eye are bruised. I don't want to ever go through it again.
I have just experienced the same pain but only on coming back down I found that pressing rather firmly on both my temples helped quite a bit although I could still feel some discomfort but it was much more bearable than the stabbing pain!!!
I have experienced the exact same pain many of you have reported. It was simply the most intense pain I have ever felt in my life. It began as a sharp pain on the left side of my forehead and within seconds I was shaking uncontrollably from the pain. It was so intense that I lost awareness of my surroundings and only have a select few images in my head, one of which involved the flight attendant asking for a doctor. For those of you who are scared to fly again....I have flown about 20 times since the incident with no issue whatsoever. The pain is very real, and it is, embarassingly, one of the few things I fear on this earth...yes it is that bad. I truly feel like it is a very rare occurence though, and you should be able to fly again with ease. Oddly, besides my forehead and eye, my left jaw and teeth were in terrible pain as well. It subsided almost instantly after landing.
I fly 60+ times a year for work and yesterday was the first time I experienced this excrutiating, eye ball stabbing with pins...its horrible. I was sweating and crying and all I could do was hold my right eye tight in hopes it would go away. I still felt it when I got home and now its the next day 1:30pm and its coming back slightly...not as bad but enough to where I needed to go online and find out why it's still happening. Should I be worried???? What can I take??
37/m Happened to me the second time yesterday. Happened the first time last year. I have flown many times previously and the last two trips have been on smaller jets. I am a doctor so the first time I scared myself to death thinking I was having a stroke with my symptoms.
Stabbing pain, onset sudden in mid descent, left brow right behind the eye, and it feels like my eye is gonna pop out. First time I vagaled out and just about passed out thinking I was having a stroke. I remember grabbing and putting pressure above my left eye but it didn't help much and it hurt rest of that day. Bending over made it worse. Same sensation at this moment. I really don't want to fly anymore due to this.
I'm 23 year old female. I have been flying since I was 8 years old and never before had experienced anything like this until last year. I had a 3 hours flight to London and nothing special happened I felt as allways flying, after 3 days I was suppose to go to Venice, a short flight and still nothing, then after a week I sat in a plain from Catania to Rome and I thought I was going to die. The pain that came was horrible and I had another flight almost after I landed in Rome. I didnt want to get into the plane, I was almost dragged in it, at the beginning nothing happened and I thought that it was only some kind of coincidence or something, but after an hour or so it started and this it time it was even worse. In general I have very high pain level, higher than most of the guys in my age and I never cry because of pain, but this time my tears just started rolling and I couldn't think of anything just wanted them to let me out of the plane. As most of you reported I also thought that I was going to die, I knew that even if I called the flight assistant they couldn't help me anyhow and also I was not able to call help. I don't remember were the pain started, but in the end it was on both temples like sharp knifes was digging in.
When the plane landed the pain slowly subsided, but not entirely. For approx two days my head was throbbing, but it was bearable. After that the headache was gone and I lived a happy life until my next flight.
After 6 months I had to travel to New York connecting flights through Frankfurt and back. In short it was worse, I wanted to jump out of the airplane and at moment I didn't care if I was going to die, because anything was better that the pain.
Now, after 3 or 4 month of my last flight I still get headaches every second day or so, not that bad as flying, but they are annoying, call them migraines if you want or anything else, but it just breaks my daily life. I have been to several doctors and nobody either believes me that it is so horrible headache at flights nor they think that my current headaches are related to my flight experience. They say that it is normal that people get headaches on flights because of lack of oxygen, dehydration and pressure changes and what not and that my headaches now are just simple migraines, I should reduce the stress in my job and get another pillow for more comfortable sleeping, drink some herbal tea, get more fresh air daily (I have a husky, so I'm going for a walk every day with my dog for an hour)... Well in short I have tried sooooo many things I'm sick of it already. I'm going to Venice after a week and guess what? I'm going by train. I don't care that it takes two days. I'm not going back on a plane until I find a reasonable solution.
47 year old female with the same problem. Couple of days ago I was on 2,30h long airbus flight and during the landing at some point when we were rather near to the ground super severe pain started at the left side of the back of my head( occipit mastoid area) like a cramp or spasm rapidly increasing the intensity and spreading through the head. My head was felt to be on the verge of exploding and I instinctively held it tight and pressing with my fingers. The pain was unbearable and thoughts of dying were crossing my mind. It spontaneously subsided after 10 to 15 min when we dropped altitude but dull ache along sutures of the cranial bones and cranial base were present for some time. I ve been suffering from sinus inflammation on and of for years but on this occasion i had a mild irritation and nose and ears were not blocked. Crew were reassuring me that its "nothing" and "normal" and no paramedics were called which was unsatisfactory to say the very least. I am frequent flyer and this is third time in two years to experience this pain although nowhere near in such intensity. Dont know what to do and I am very concerned about my next flight that has to take place in couple of weeks from now.
I'm a 19 year old female who experienced this one before about 5 year ago, and have flown several times since then but did not experience it until a couple of days ago. I was flying from Eugene to Hartford with connections in San Francisco and Charlotte. I had no problem during ascension, but during each landing (3 in 12 hours), I experienced these headaches with increasing intensity after each one.
The pain began at the back, right side of my neck and radiated up my head, to my temple and behind my right eye and eyebrow bone. As each flight landed, the pain spread to to the roof of my mouth, my tonsils, the back of my throat, the bridge of my nose and the left side of my head and eye. By the third descent, I tasted blood in my mucous, however this could've been from the extremely dry air on the plane as I have experienced nose bleeds after flights before.
I have a history of migraines as well as sinus infections. As to the hypothesis of the airline causing the problem, my first flight was with United and my second and third with US, and I experienced the headaches with both airlines. The headache lingered for about 1-2 hours after landing, but the intensity disappeared almost as soon as the cabin door was opened. By the third flight, the pain was literally so intense that I began to cry.
The first and second time it happened, it was only on small airplanes, not the large jets. The first time it happened, I was flying from Hartford to San Diego and it only occurred on the small plane to Chicago, not the large jet to San Diego, so I assumed it had something to do with the air pressure on smaller planes. This time, however, it occurred on the 2 smaller planes as well as the large jet. When I told my dad (a pilot and aircraft mechanic) about the pain, he told me to pop my ears, which absolutely infuriated me. OBVIOUSLY I POPPED MY EARS! When I tried to explain the pain he dismissed me and told me to just keep popping my ears. Anyone who has experienced these headaches knows it is more than just a matter of popping your ears. It is literally the worst pain I have ever experienced.
23 year old male reporting:
I experienced this 2 weeks ago when flying from England to Germany and back today (1h 30 mins).
On the first flight my ears hurt really bad. I tried to pop my ears and that worked a few times and then it worsened. After the flight I found some dried blood in my left ear when I cleaned it with a Q-tip.
On the second flight my ears were less of a problem. I managed to yawn and swallow to reduce the pressure difference.
However 5 minutes before the captain announced the landing I got the feeling like something was trying to hatch from the area between my eyebrows. It hurt so bad I wanted to scream and ask for help(but I doubt I could have had a proper conversation then).
Massaging outward from between my eyebrows and over the eyebrows kept the pain in check somewhat but it immediately returned when I stopped massaging and the pain spiked if I leaned my head sideward or forward.
After landing the headache subsided quickly but my hearing was very bad. I could barely understand the flight attendant wishing my a good onward yourney as I passed him in the corridor (or anyone talking to me for the next 2 hours).
Its been 7 hours since landing now and a dull headache remains and my hearing is still improving when I yawn butI belive it has almost normalized.
I was sleep deprived (3 hours before first flight and 6 hours sleep before the second). Also I was recovering from a cold during my second flight.
I fly that distance regularly every year twice(back and forth) but only now during my last 2 flights has this happened.
I was worried that I might be suffering a stroke, so its good to read that other people my age are also affected by it. Then again...maybe we all had a stroke or something similar.
i never have this kind of a thing it happens to me only when i have a cold and i have sinus so my nose gets blocked really bad and this is the only time when i get these headaches . if im not wrong it is related to the pressure changes in the cabin of the airplane which affects the sinuses hence crushing the nerves at the front left area of the eye hope i helped any queries etc mail me at othnael@gmail.com
The same thing happened to my daughter, who flew home from Denver tonight. When I picked her up curbside, she (26 yo) told me she had "the worse pain she ever had" on the right side of her forehead, behind her eye. She said "it felt like my eye was going to pop out." It happended on descent. It scared her, and she thought she was having a stroke or something. She rubbed the area, and the pain subsided, and was a dull ache by the time we left the airport. She had no change in vision, no weakness, pupils were equal size, and head pain had subsided, but not gone away all together. Other notes: She was very tired, dehydrated ( from a few cocktails the night previous) and recovering from a week old cold.
SOLUTION!
Dear all,
I had EXACTLY the same problems as you all do for many times. And I found a solution - NASONEX, nasal spray (you would need a prescription for it)
I was diagnosed with deviated septum (very light version of it), which I've been having for 20 years. Currently, I take NASONEX, spray that helps to increase space in my sinuses. Nasonex is a temporary solution for deviated septum before I do a surgery.
But I do NOT have this headache in the plane anymore, while I fly a lot.
53 year old female. The first time this happened was May of 2000 Chicago to LAX. I am not a frequent air traveler. At the time, I attributed the terrible pain, nose running like a faucet and tears running down my face to a possible sinus infection. No issues on the return trip four days later.
Left Chicago for Maui 2 weeks ago. Flights were Chicago to San Diego, commuter plane to LAX, jumbo to unplanned stop in Honolulu,change jumbo planes and on to Maui. Exhausted, but the only issue was a badly bloodshot right eye for the entire vacation (eyedrops didn't help.)
Return from Maui flight was at 10pm. I was restless the entire flight, couldn't get comfortable. Upon descent, I had the feeling of a thousand needles being jabbed into my right eyebrow. I massaged the area until we landed, when the pain subsided. Directly boarded the second flight from LAX to Chicago. Nodded off for a short while, possible exhaustion from the previous pain, only to have the same reaction on our descent to Chicago.
Had taken Sudafed prior to each flight, hoping to ward off any issues.
Don't want to fly again unless I can get this figured out!
40 yr old. On my flight from Caribbean to New York I also felt severe stabbing headache when the flight was descending. I had never felt this type of pain before. I figured Id do a MRI and find out if anything was wrong. I had gotten so nervous my blood pressure went up. So the mix of both tensions made it feel as if I was actually having some type of attack.
omG finally other people who have what i've been having my whole life! i was a kid on a flight from new delhi to london and i ruined the trip for my mom and people sitting around us because i was screaming and crying over a pain EXACTLY as has been described on here!! my mom was not happy with me at all (screaming child on a long-haul flight = hellish for all) and through my sobs i said it yelped that it felt like one hot 5cm nail being driven right through my head just above my eyebrow. i seriously couldn't sit still because of the excruciating pain! my breathing was all shallow and quick and my tears from all the crying were making the pain even worse because my peri-orbital region was just super-tender (hyperalgesic). It happened again to me on a flight from Frankfurt to Warsaw and again on a flight from Vancouver to Sydney. Each time, I would have blood in my mucus for many days after arrival. *shudder* I'm cringing even now remembering how unbearable it was. I'm fascinated now that there seems to be research in this area...Thanks so much for everyone sharing their stories. It really helps those of us who previously suffered in silence (like when you're a kid having this and everyone on the plane is telling you to shut up)
I am 26, experienced this on the decent of a flight last night. It was on my RIGHT side and the pain slowly moved from the front to the back of my scull.
Today, my head still hurts really bad... and I blew a whole bunch of blood out of my right nostril this morning... WTF??
I am a 24 year old female, experienced the kind of unbearable pain in my forehead described here during landing. This was about 4 years ago and it never happened again because since then every rime I fly I chew gum, I heard it can help. The interesting thing is that when I had this experience, I just pressed my head against the seat in front of me in an attempt to stop my brain from exploding (it felt like it would) but when I could finally move I looked to my right and the men sitting next to me had a nosebleed. I'm thinking this could have to do with maybe a certain angle that the plane takes for descending? Or maybe not.
I just decided to research this and I'm shocked how many of these symptoms I share. 38 yr old male, competitive runner... Felt this extreme pain on descent for over 3 years. Recent trip to Kauai resulted in worse pain yet. Just above left eye. Still feel numb pain on eye over a week later. No blood. I'm going to have a doctor work this until the root cause is solved.
I've experienced cronic bad breath as well, which could be related to root issue.
43 Year old Male has had this happen to me three times now. The first time was in my early 30s. I thought I was going to die and struggled to use the phone in the plane seat to call home and tell my wife I loved her, because I thought I was having a stroke. For me it starts with my back top and bottom teeth, where I think they are going to pop out of my mouth, then stabbing pains behind both eyes; stabbing pain right down the center of my skull above my ears and then permiates down my juggulars on both sides. This just happened to my on a flight from Florida last week. My fiance thought I was dying. I'm now experiencing clogged ears that I can't pop and dizziness. I may have to go see a doctor.
28 year old female. This has happened to me the last 3 times ive flown. Except mine usually starts half way through the flight and then starts to disappear when decsending. The pain is unbearable and feels like jy head isgoing to explode. I usually have to get up and go to the bathroom where i cry because it hurts that much.I usually get the pain towards my right eye, up my forehead and down my nose. Its almost enough to turn me off flying!
28 female. I too have had the same severe pain when descending from planes since I started flying in my early 20s. I used to get them 1 out of 4 flights. Now I try my best to keep calm because couple of times, I ended hyper-ventilating because I was in so much pain. When I was younger, I used to get the same pain when driving downhill from the mountains. My family just assumed that I was over-reacting . Now when I drive downhill, my husband knows to never drive faster than 35 mph.
I don't get the headache as much anymore. I always fly with a lot of water, gum, and non-drowsy claritin.
60 yr old female here just returned from fresno ca.on wednesday felt this excruciating pain felt like electricity going thru my left side of face into left eye which started to water profusely thought i was having a stroke this was on the descend thought it would never end and did'nt know what to do i usually chew gum but I did'nt on this trip thought maybe it could be where i was seated i was toward the front of the plane usually fly way in the back ,again on flight back home to boston same thing but less severe electrical pain thru forehead I Would'nt call it a headache never have i experienced this pain all i can do is describe it as pinching stinging electrical pain next time i will not sit up up front and will chew gum,atartnd would be curious to know where people who experienced same where they were seated on flight
I am a 30yo woman from Australia. I have suffered the acute pain from the decent on a plane many times. It is very painful, just as others described. It's quite scary the first time because you think your head is going to explode and you don't know when or if the pain is going to stop.
I am a frequent flyer, and I find the international flights on larger planes do not generally cause the pain. I suffer the most on budget airlines that don't do a very good job of descending at a slow and steady rate.
I suffer from TMJ (Temporomandibular joint disorder) and I grind my teeth at night (bruxism) and need a splint for my teeth to control the pain I feel in my jaw. This is under control and I don't feel any pain on the ground.
On the plane, pain starts on decent on my left side in the jaw joint, spreads to the eye and the back of the head, then goes across to the right jaw, eye and head.It is most intense in my jaw joints under my ears.
I try to see a Myotherapist to massage my jaw and face before I fly to ensure the muscles are relaxed and less likely to cause pain.
When you hear two bell sounds on the plane about 30mins before landing, this is the pilot communicating to the airline attendants that the plane is at "top of decent." This means that the plane is beginning to fly down to the destination (and usually when I start feeling the intense pain).
I reassure myself that the pain will not last, breath deeply, massage my jaw and sinuses with my fingers and make a chewing motion to help relieve the pain. I sometimes grip my hands together tight and concentrate on that distraction too.
The pain usually stops 5 minutes after we have reached the destination (although I am exhausted from the intense pain). I usually go home and rest with a couple of paracetamol or ibuprofen to help relief the residual tenderness.
I am an adventurer and I work through the pain so I can continue to travel overseas and interstate for work and play. I am sad to hear people are so scared that they will never get on a plane again.
I would really recommend the myotherapy to massage the muscles in the head, face and neck a few days before your flight.
I know the pain does go away once I am back on the ground so I keep telling myself this if the pain is acute on the plane. I wouldn't want this to stop me from seeing and experiencing the world.
Safe travels and take care.
This just happened to me. 30 year old female, healthy, fly a lot. I was leaning against the window looking out and felt excruciating pain above left eyebrow less than a minute before landing. I didn't know what to do and thought I was having an aneurism, popped a blood vessel or wasn't getting enough oxygen. Went away when landed. That was an hour ago and now that spot is aching. Could it possibly be from low oxygen levels right next to the window? Never happened before and I hope it doesn't happen again.
25 year old female, happens almost every time I fly, the neck pain and targeted headache combined. It is horribly invasive, but from start to finish only about ten-fifteen minutes usually on descents, but occasionally ascents too. Goes away and I feel great, but I am going to try naxopren and the other suggested treatment as I have two flights scheduled next week. Hoping for good results.
I'm a 41 year old female and the same thing happens to me on flights. I've had excrutiating pain on take off and landing on the last 2 trips abroad. On previous trips I've had slight head/sinus pain. I'm going abroad next week and found this article when searching for possible reasons/remedies. I've bought some Triptan migraine pills and will see how it goes.
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