Most people who come to a St. Louis clinic after a crash can describe their headache in general terms. Fewer can say what set it off on a particular afternoon. Bending forward is one of the everyday movements many people notice without writing down, so this week it is worth a small note.
Bending is a common task. You lower your head to tie a shoe, load the bottom rack of the dishwasher, pick up a phone from the floor, or look into a low cabinet. In each case the head drops below the level of the heart, the neck changes its angle, and the muscles at the back of the neck and shoulders work in a different way. Some people feel a change right away. Others feel it only after they stand back up.
What to write down
Keep a simple list on paper or in a notes app. Each time you bend, write the time, the task, and how long you stayed bent over. Then write what happened in your head during and after. Use plain words such as 'pressure behind the eyes', 'throbbing at the temple', 'nausea', or 'no change'. If nothing changed, write that too. A list of quiet moments helps an examiner as much as a list of bad ones.
Add two details that are easy to forget. First, note whether you were holding something heavy. Second, note whether you bent quickly or slowly. A quick drop of the head to grab something is different from a slow, planned bend, and both are different from staying bent while you work at a counter.
If you use a phone to track sleep, steps, or screen time, it may already have timestamps for some events. You can use those times, but do not rely on the device alone. Write your own short note beside each entry, because the device cannot tell whether you felt pressure, nausea, or only tired.
Position and timing
Many people find that the headache begins a little after the bend ends, not during it. Others notice the change only when they straighten up too fast. Write the start time as best you can, then write how long it lasted. If you lay down afterward, write that. If you took a break, write that as well, and note whether the break made any difference.
Try to keep the same kind of record for several days so a pattern has room to show. One day of notes may be too little to read. Five or six days of short entries can show whether bending in the morning feels different from bending in the evening, or whether bending after a long stretch of sitting seems to matter more.
Where the head sits
Notice where your head is when the change starts. Is it below your waist, level with a table, or tilted to one side? Write the angle in your own words. 'Head low, looking at the floor' is enough. If you lean on one hand, write that too. These small details matter, and they are easy to lose by the time you see someone in person.
Also note whether your eyes were open or closed, and whether the room was bright. You do not need to measure anything. You only need to describe what you did and what you noticed, in the order it happened.
What this log is not
This log does not tell you what is causing your headache. It is a record of what you observed, not a diagnosis. Only an examiner who sees you in person can review your history, check your neck and head, and decide what tests, if any, are needed. Your job is to bring a clear record so the conversation starts from facts instead of memory.
If a headache is severe, comes on suddenly, or arrives with weakness, confusion, trouble speaking, or vision loss, do not wait to write things down. Seek care right away, and keep the log for the visit that follows.
Bringing it to your visit
Put the list on a single page or in a short note on your phone. Bring a printed copy if you can. Mark the entries that felt most important to you, and write one sentence at the top saying what you want the examiner to know first. Keep the rest in order, with dates and times. Plain notes like these are easier to read than long stories, especially on a day when your head hurts and the waiting room is loud.