Your scalp feels bruised.
Like thumb-sized sore spots scattered everywhere on your head.
Or maybe big, roaming ones.
Laying your head on a pillow is too painful.
Curling it behind your ears feels like pain dripping down your skull.
Fuck the wind.
Fuck your hairbrush.
Screw anything and everything that dares causes your hair to move.
Because your hair hurts.
Or so it feels.
Why does my scalp hurt to touch?
I think it’s one of the very worst symptoms of Fibromyalgia.
This is a common symptom, yet I see too many people posting in Fibro Facebook groups wondering why their head feels like someone smashed it with nothing to show for it.
This post sheds some much-needed light on a topic not nearly enough people with Fibromyalgia know about.
So if you’ve been struggling with this type of pain, keep reading because I’ll clue you in on why your scalp hurts and how to get some relief.
This post contains affiliate link(s) at no extra cost to you. These links help keep this blog going and continue to share good stuff. Please read my full disclosure policy for more details.
Why does my scalp hurt to touch?
Incorrectly processing pain and chemical imbalances in the body are factors in why people with Fibromyalgia often experience intense, I-just-want-to-die pain on their scalp.
Genetics also plays a role.
Incorrectly processing pain
In healthy individuals, pain pathways inside the body function normally.
Whereas in Fibro folk, these pathways don’t operate that way.
They function abnormally, and this malfunction results in amplified pain.
Chemical imbalances
People with Fibro have neurochemical imbalances in their central nervous system, leading to lots and lots of pain.
One reason why these chemical imbalances exist is because individuals with Fibromyalgia process pain differently. This is due to varying levels of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers in your body.
For example, neurotransmitters in the brain and cerebrospinal fluid that translate pain can become heightened; other levels of neurotransmitters that decrease pain go down.
This results in extra sensitivity to things that aren’t normally painful in Fibro patients.
There’s too much of what you don’t need is there, and there’s too little of what you do.
Genetics
Genetics also play a role in how your body perceives pain. One gene being noticed for its potential connection to Fibromyalgia and general altered pain perception is the COMT gene.
Not to get too sciencey, but COMT stands for catechol-O-methyl transferase, in case you were wondering. (I was.)
(Note: The COMT gene may also influence migraine and anxiety disorders.)
Furthermore, hundreds of other genes may contribute to an altered pain response:
- encoding voltage-gated sodium-channels (Naᵥ)
- GTP cyclohydrolase 1 (GCH1)
- mu-opioid receptors
Dysesthesia vs. Trichodynia vs. Allodynia
Dysethesia, trichodynia, and allodynia often come up when talking about scalp pain.
- Dysesthesia is a general term for unusual or painful sensations on the skin. You aren’t feeling things as you normally should.
- Trichodynia means “hair pain” and is pain of the scalp, often with hair loss.
- Allodynia is when anything that shouldn’t normally be painful is – and that’s what tends to run common in the Fibromyalgia community.
Dysesthesia
Dysesthesia breaks down into “dys” meaning bad and “aethesis” meaning sensation.
Dysesthesia is a term used for an unusual or unpleasant sensation on the skin, such as tingling, burning, stinging, stabbing, crawling sensation, etc without a primary skin condition to cause it.
You have trouble feeling sensations as you normally would.
Trichodynia
Trichodynia means “hair pain,” if you break down the word’s Latin root.
It’s pain of the scalp and may accompany hair loss.
Some studies suggest that this syndrome flares during emotionally charged situations and life circumstances.
Allodynia
Breaking down allodynia, “allo-” means “other” and “dynia” meaning “pain.”
Allodynia is defined as “pain due to a stimulus that does not normally provoke pain.”
Laying your head on a pillow (the softest, gentlest because you’ve tried), the wind, a shower, a single hair follicle moving at all…those things shouldn’t normally hurt, but they can with allodynia.
This kind of allodynia is called tactile allodynia.
There are 3 types of allodynia:
- mechanical
- tactile
- thermal
You should read my blog post all about allodynia if you haven’t yet.
And one last thing:
Fibro warriors aren’t the only lucky ones to know what allodynia feels like.
People with migraines, shingles, and diabetes can also experience this life-altering pain.
Allodynia, you suck balls.
How do I make my scalp stop hurting?
So now you know why your scalp may hurt to touch, you’re wondering what on God’s green earth you can do to stop your scalp from feeling so sore.
You can:
- let your hair stay down and untouched, the same part for example
- wear a loose hairstyle or low pony
- take ibuprofen
- add lemon juice to your shampoo or conditioner
- brush your hair with a wide-toothed comb
- add more vitamins to your diet
- chop it short
- massage the scalp gently
Let’s expand on these, shall we?
Keep your hair untouched
When I had allodynia bad, I realized that moving my hair around hurt my scalp.
Or only wearing an updo bun, which I did for years at work.
But all the other girls seem to be able to do this with no problem, and even still I can’t wear my hair pulled back like that without whiplash pain the second I reset it.
So if you can, minimize the styling, hand-flipping, and anything to touch it.
Wear a loose hairstyle
If you need or prefer to have your hair up, try wearing it loose or low.
Braids may help, but I’m not a braid girl so I can’t say personally.
I’ve found that a bobby pin is the most gentle way to keep hair out of my face if need be.
Take ibuprofen
It’s cheap and calms down your body’s pain triggers.
If you’re in scalp hell right now, I 100% understand if you just told me to go fuck off by saying that.
Ibuprofen won’t feel like shit.
On the same thought, it is still working in your body.
Yes, your fucked-up body.
That one.
Add lemon juice to your shampoo
Pour a little lemon juice into your shampoo or conditioner and leave in for 5 minutes.
Lemon juice is anti-inflammatory and also cleanses the scalp of buildup, which can also cause pain at the root of the hair follicles (as seen in trichodynia).
All you need to add is a few drops of that bright little liquid.
Brush with a wide-toothed comb
Why do I not have one of these? Seriously though?
Ditch the comb with the fine teeth and supposed-be-to-big teeth. Use a wide-toothed comb for less hair tugging.
If you’ve got thick hair like me, that can be so damn painful even on good scalp days (and if the conditioner doesn’t sit it long enough).
This one has fabulous reviews for gentle combing.
Take your vitamins
Add more B2, B6, and zinc to your diet to help ease scalp pain.
Vitamin B-complex has been shown to reduce nerve pain and boost and repair nerve fibers.
Fibromyalgia can be linked to damaged nerve fibers, so supplementing with vitamins may be helpful.
Chop it short
I’ve definitely thought about doing this – until I remember by 8th grade short haircut that I never want to relive again.
On Facebook Fibro groups I see other people dealing with scalp pain contemplate cutting it. Some say it didn’t help, others say it helped some.
If chopping off hair weight has been on your mind lately, contemplate it a little more.
Maybe it can help you.
And it’ll grow back (albeit maybe not as lustrous thanks to kids) if not.
Massage the scalp gently
When some spots on your head feel bruised and like they’re caving in, like someone swapped your scalp for an overripe orange – massaging and putting more pressure and movement may sound torturous.
Then by God, don’t do it.
However, if you can sense your sore scalp is somewhat receptible (aka slight touch doesn’t send you into complete tears, just semi-snot) then it may be a good time to test one out.
That’s because a scalp massage improves blood flow and softens tension.
Find a least-painful penny-size spot, and start there.
For me, the pain travels and varies in depth (as in, towards the pit of your center or the outermost layer of your skin if you can visualize that), so one day a massage may be a big fuck no while another day it’s a saving grace.
Well, saving grace is a looooooong shot, but you get my point.
Your takeaway
Why does my scalp hurt to touch? Why does it feel so BRUISED?
It’s likely thanks to allodynia, a type of tactile pain that is common with Fibromyalgia.
Allodynia is pain that comes from something that normally wouldn’t be hurtful at all, like laying your head on a pillow.
You may experience allodynia and scalp pain because of your body incorrectly processing pain, chemical imbalances, and genetics.
So tell me, have you ever dealt with allodynia?
What did you do to cope?
Share below in the comments.
If you’re hurting and looking for something more uplifting, read these inspirational quotes.
