Hey all,
So for Halloween I was an 80s rockstar, and needless to say I was headbanging all night. Now today, I had a mild headache, and I’m not sure if it’s related. All of the sources that say damage is possible cite some guy who had a preexisting condition and ended up with a brain bleed. So for a healthy person is it fine?
One would think this kind of thing is self limiting, but judging from some YT videos I’ve seen I’m not so sure. Concussion is probably “doable” or likely, anything worse would be rare hopefully.
Don’t do that.
Not just one guy, but several. See Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headbanging#Health_issues
Old person here.
You mean “headbanging” is a real thing? I always thought it was some kind of artistic/musical figure of speech.
What is the purpose of doing it?
JOHN_TITOR, did you come from the future to fix Unix?
I was just thinking the name is a real blast from the past.
You don’t actually bang your head against anything, you just thrash your head back and forth because you’re feeling the damn metal so much.
IANAD but I know headaches can be triggered by stiff neck muscles, so it seems more likely that the OP strained his neck a bit with all the moshing.
Am curious if Angus Young suffers from brain damage.
Yeah, no actual impact. Basically just nodding your head “Yes” rapidly. I’m not a musician or anything, so it was only the one night I did it. It’s not something I’d go out and do every weekend like real metal fans.
Actual brain damage seems unlikely. If you had brain damage, you would notice cognitive effects like an inability to read and xsjkwl ss afdof not making sense ulford kismun fnord.
–Mark
And of course fnord sest kinoya fnord tucuman cat molina
Can you give yourself a case of shaken baby syndrome?
I am a fan of metal, and some songs instill in me an overwhelming urge to headbang which I frequently cannot resist (paired with a “devil’s horns” hand sign). Prolonged activity of this sort has resulted in a headache, dizziness, and stiff neck. Dizziness is usually the first thing to occur and admittedly can enhance the rush of the music, at least initially.
Indeed, being too metal can lead to negative health consequences but at least in my case such have been both temporary and easily remedied with short rest and a mild painkiller.
Master of Puppets tends to be the worst in my recollection.
I’ve definitely given myself whiplash a couple times at some concerts in my youth. Sore/stiff for days. Dainbramage? Some might argue I had that before the headbanging.
[quote=“Colophon, post:7, topic:770423”]
You don’t actually bang your head against anything, you just thrash your head back and forth because you’re feeling the damn metal so much…
[quote]
This. Also when you are packed into the very front of the pit, that’s really the only way to “dance”
Brain damage may lead to headbanging rather than the other way around. 
Bang your head all night. Sounds like good logic and obviously a good decision for any adult to make.
Bang your head.
Metal health will drive you mad.
By which, of course, you mean the best.
Newton’s 1st law…an object in motion will stay in motion…
When you begin your head banging, your brain within your skull starts in motion. You use your neck muscles to stop your head from moving forward, but your brain continues in motion until it reaches the side of your skull which has stopped.
You continue this repetitively throughout the night with your brain slapping against your skull to stop itself.
While these are minute actions, continue over the course of years, I believe could have significant traumatic effects on your brain, as noted by the link referred to in post #3.