I'll leave the true headbanging to Amon Amarth

[Ryan VH]

So earlier I was headbanging to Ancient Sign of the Coming Storm while playing guitar. The heavy part after the fade in/out is where I headbanging more and crazier than ever. About 10 seconds into it I hear a huge crack on the right side of my neck and it's been hurting like a bitch ever since. Any ideas to help it and be more loose before I headbang again (exercises)?

 

[Ikki]

sure, you do exercise more often, paying attention to strech exercises on your neck. However, if right now you are bad, let your neck rest and take some ibuprofen for a while..and then, keep your neck tonned

 

[Bates]

Hmm. Are you normally able to crack your neck without using your hands?
For myself, I usually put my chin on one shoulder, and tilt it back, then turn until my chin is over the other shoulder, then tilt my head all the way backwards and turn it from side to side. Do it slowly, and, hmm, how to describe this... you kinda use half the muscles in your neck to provide resistance. It's always worked well for me, but I still do end up with a sore neck after a good show.

If it really hurts, you might want to just give a day or two, give the muscles a chance to heal. I've never heard of anyone actually breaking their own neck from headbanging, but it does scare some people when I crack mine (It's loud, hehe)

 

[Ryan VH]

Yeah I heard a huge crack. The guitarist from Evanasence had a stroke from headbanging. It kinda made me chuckle and I know that's mean haha. Luckily I was heading out to physical therapy for my shoulder right after so I got my physical therapist to play around with my neck. It did a little help but not a whole lot. Better than nothing though.

After ASOTCS I knew that the pain was there but I didn't really care so I moved on "Once Sealed in Blood" on guitar and I tried headbanging and I screamed "OH FUCKING A SON OF A FUCKING BITCH MOTHER FUCKER!" and just as a said it my 10 year old brother comes in and stares at me not knowing what to do or say.

 

[Ikki]

i have just remember that my friend from Yogataught me exercises to increase the resistance on neck and they are pretty simple, you just put your hand at your head´s height, let´s say forehead,then press with your hand and press with your head in the opposite way, let´s say a fight head vs hand, you have to do it on the four sides of the head,all arround the skull...

 

[Ryan VH]

Ah I see what you mean. I'll give it a try when my neck is feeling a bit better.

 

[Knarfi]

just do it a lot lol

 

[Tyra]

and just as a said it my 10 year old brother comes in and stares at me not knowing what to do or say.

Aaaww, dude now you've traumatized him for life!

I have no advice for you, as I myself have sustained some pretty nasty permanent damage from headbanging. No joke. Did it when I was (a lot) younger, didn't know I did it at the time, but I pay for it on a daily basis now. Probably cumulative damage from years and years of headbanging w/o warming up or something stupid like that.

 

[bloodland]

yeah man., headbang more often. Fortunately i never hurt will headbanging and windmilling.... the only once i hurt was when i headbanged for a black metal song - 8mins - at a gig.... the day after my head couldn't stay straight and as if it muscles holding it straight were to streched that my head fall in front

 

[Bates]

Yeah, but how old are you, Blood? Trust me, it makes a difference. I could hardly move the day after the AA show, and I wasn't going at it real hard. Had to keep an eye on the wife, she's kinda small and wasn't feeling good, didn't want her to get squished. So I had to kinda stay in back, and just headbang and try and roar along with Johan (Yeah, that's not happening, but I had to try... I've got the volume, at least according to the people around me... but not the skill or staying power )

...there's a point in there, somewhere.

 

[Ryan VH]

Yeah, but how old are you, Blood? Trust me, it makes a difference. I could hardly move the day after the AA show, and I wasn't going at it real hard. Had to keep an eye on the wife, she's kinda small and wasn't feeling good, didn't want her to get squished. So I had to kinda stay in back, and just headbang and try and roar along with Johan (Yeah, that's not happening, but I had to try... I've got the volume, at least according to the people around me... but not the skill or staying power )

...there's a point in there, somewhere.

I'm 15. I headbang everyday. This was a very unusual thing to happen.

 

[Belgar]

When I was 15, we would skip recess and go to the store buy beer and drink it in the park by our school. I miss the old days.

The best way to headband w/o too much pain is to alternate the up and down headband with the windmill headbang, drinking beer and jager between songs also help regain lost energy.

 

[Bates]

Alcohol helps with the limberness, as well. Heh, that sounds like my school years, except New England tends to be somewhat anal about alcohol, so we, uhh, did absolutely nothing incriminating. At all. At least, my father always told me it's not illegal if you don't get caught.

Actually, I could buy at 15, but I lived in a relatively rural area, and the nearest package store was a couple of miles away, too far to get there and back without just skipping school entirely. Shows then, at the other hand, in those days they were all in little VFW halls and shit, and people hadn't gotten quite so fucking sue-happy, so nobody minded what you did, as long as you weren't breaking shit. Or stabbing people. Unless they deserved it.

 

[Ryan VH]

im not a big drinker. especially with my parents knowing most of the shit i do its best not to take the risk, ya know?

 

[PaganThunder]

ahhh i remember head banging and going nuts to Megadeth - Tornado Of Souls when i was like 14 - 15, and fucked my neck, was cainin for days and had a lump. But these days i can go as nuts as i want and im fine afterwards.

I love headbanging to that part in an ancient sign of coming storm that you fucked your neck. Such a chunky riff.

 

[Earth Breather]

What a coincidence, I am 15 as well. After the Amon Amarth gig at Soma in December, I could barely move the next morning, fortunately, I was going to the same show the next day at The Wiltern Theater. Needless to say my neck is still sore

 

[Nikki]

rest, along with heat,ice, and stretching

 

[Ryan VH]

What a coincidence, I am 15 as well. After the Amon Amarth gig at Soma in December, I could barely move the next morning, fortunately, I was going to the same show the next day at The Wiltern Theater. Needless to say my neck is still sore

ha cool. where in LA do you live?

 

[Earth Breather]

West

 

[Det Som Engang Var]

It happens to me occasionally. I couldnt find anyway to get rid off it, just had to keep my neck straight for a few days and grin and bare it