Dizziness at the gym... worried about my heart

[fedup36]

Hi All,

I had my gym induction this morning, was going really well and was doing my weights etc and then I had to do quite an intense work out on the cross trainer. When I came off the cross trainer I was a little bit woozy but nothing to bad however I then went on the shoulder press.. find whilst on it but as soon as I got off it I went so dizzy :( no dimming vision or anything like that just dizzy and felt a little bit sick. I am so so worried about my heart and that I am about to have a heart attack and exercise will be the cause.
It makes me wonder that the dizziness I get isn't anything neurological at all which has all been ruled out and whether it could be my heart instead :(

I want to go back to the doctors but they only said to return if I have palps with the dizziness which I don't...

I feel like Im taking the right steps in getting fit but this worries are making it really hard to keep going..

I don't know whether to go back to the doctor...

[LunaLiuna]

Morning Fedup,

I had a similar problem last night after a jog, I did run a lot further than usual but still the dizziness shook me a little.

I told myself that it's more likely to be because I've hardly done any exercise like that for years, it doesn't stop me from wondering though. My dizziness make my eyes go funny :l

I'm sure you'll be fine, don't let your dragon convince you that you have a problem somewhere else :)

[HoneyLove]

Hey Fedup, you really should read up on MAV, or even try the mvertigo.org forums for some information, it would help things like this make so much more sense to you. You've been given a diagnosis, you need to work with it, work with your doctors and educate yourself on what it means.

You'll find that most people with MAV, myself included, find that any sort of exercise (doesn't have to be intense) can induce dizziness. On the MAV forum you'll find people talking about how they used to be able to do so much exercise but have had to lessen the intensity since they got the dizzies.

I get dizzy sometimes just after going for a walk, or going up a hill. Anything that can increase muscle tension in your body can trigger the MAV, especially if you find that your MAV is triggered by neck pain/tension - imagine the strain on the muscles of your upper back, neck, face and head during the kind of workout you did? When you think about it it's no surprise that you felt dizzy afterwards.

[LunaLiuna]

HoneyLove, could my muscle tension from TMJ cause my dizziness after exercise?

[fedup36]

Thanks guys... you've both made really good points there!
I have an appointment with my ENT and Balance Therapist in March to discuss MAV/Neck issues and ways of getting it sorted..

I thought it could be due to muscles purely for the fact it happened after doing shoulder presses!

Also I suppose dehydration can trigger MAV...

Thanks guys :)

[HoneyLove]

Absolutely Luna, if you watch yourself when you're exercising you might be clenching your jaw without thinking about it, I know I definitely do that. If you're also tensing up in your neck/shoulder region it could also add to the dizziness. Even things like carrying a heavy bag/backpack, or bracing your shoulders against the cold weather can trigger it.

Our problem is that we have existing muscle tension from the TMJ/neck stuff, so any extra tension might trigger off the factors that make us dizzy. Whereas an average person who doesn't have the existing muscle tension may not have the same problem with dizziness.

It's a nuisance really, but once you understand it it can make a lot of sense and things seem less scary. If we stress about it, it will make it even worse for us, so it's important to relax those muscles as often as possible.

---------- Post added at 11:46 ---------- Previous post was at 11:44 ----------


Also I suppose dehydration can trigger MAV...


Dehydration is a well known trigger for migraine or MAV issues. In fact it's recommended that migraine sufferers drink extra clear fluids in the day because our brains appear to need more of it.

Did you ever read those info links I gave you about MAV/chronic migraine? They had a lot of information about things you can do at home, like drinking enough water, as well information about the different symptoms.

[LunaLiuna]

Thank you HoneyLove,

I guess with running I was moving my arms a bit as well!

I didn't notice the jaw clenching, but chances are I was as it was super wet and windy outside.

I also stupidly forgot to put my mouth guard in before sleep last night and have just woke up feeling horrible. Ohwell.

Have a good day everyone :)

[HoneyLove]

Luna when it's windy & wet (and I assume cold!) like that outside you'll naturally be tensing up against the weather, you won't even have noticed that you're doing it because it's so natural! I'd venture that your shoulders, neck and jaw were pretty tense when running too, without you thinking about it. Might be best to start with a fast walk before working your way up to jogging?

I tried running last year, big mistake lol. I have a problem where everything in my vision bounces up and down as I walk, and when I tried running it bounced sooo much worse. I also got really tense and was so dizzy afterwards, I definitely wont be trying it again until my vision is more stable.

[fedup36]

I did yes thank you - my balance therapist also sent me some stuff regarding it.

Its interesting you say that about carrying a heavy back. I have to work on site quite a fair bit and when I have my heavy site bag on my shoulder I literally feel like a drunk person and veer off a certain direction! I didn't understand how just having a heavy bag can make a difference!

At least its an excuse to get the fiancé carrying the shopping bags :D

[LunaLiuna]

Luna when it's windy & wet (and I assume cold!) like that outside you'll naturally be tensing up against the weather, you won't even have noticed that you're doing it because it's so natural! I'd venture that your shoulders, neck and jaw were pretty tense when running too, without you thinking about it. Might be best to start with a fast walk before working your way up to jogging?

I tried running last year, big mistake lol. I have a problem where everything in my vision bounces up and down as I walk, and when I tried running it bounced sooo much worse. I also got really tense and was so dizzy afterwards, I definitely wont be trying it again until my vision is more stable.

I only walk for a couple of minutes before, I run with my little dog so I'm holding a lead all the way through so I guess that could also cause a little awkwardness for my shoulders.

It's interesting though because I do a lot of wood cutting, and it never seems that bad after that, I mean sometimes I've had it but yeah. I may be hyperventilating also, who knows :wacko:

Aw poor you! that must be horrible, I hope you manage to sort it out :)

[HoneyLove]

Me too, I'm seeing a neurologist later in the month and I'm really hoping that they will be able to give me some advice.