Headaches that come about because of occipital neuralgia can be quite painful. The situation will involve a sudden but intermittent piercing, capturing, or shock-like pain. This will previous from a couple of seconds to quite a few minutes.
Your healthcare provider may well use an occipital nerve block for diagnostic needs. It may help them determine if The top or neck pain you’re experiencing is coming from an occipital nerve or someplace else. This could certainly help them identify the best treatment strategy.
Should you have occipital neuralgia, you might not have the capacity to reduce pain entirely. Massaging your neck and stretching will help release tight neck muscles. Tight neck muscles may result in symptom flares.
Occipital neuralgia can affect any person. You may be a lot more very likely to have problems with occipital neuralgia Should you have:
When coupled with Actual physical therapy, therapeutic massage, daily stretching, strengthening exercises, and various conservative measures, individuals with this sort of headache can frequently do well For most months or months at any given time.
Occipital neuralgia is not really popular, specifically in young children. Hence, watchful investigation is critical to rule out other possible causes of occipital pain.
“Cluster headaches bring about numerous headaches each day that previous between 15 minutes to a few several hours,” she adds.
The 1st or worst headache you’ve at any time experienced that includes confusion, weakness, double eyesight, or lack of consciousness
What is primary is to pay close awareness to the symptoms info within your headache. This may aid your medical doctor find out the cause and the right treatment system.
Occipital neuralgia is a results of irritation or inflammation of your occipital nerves, Found behind The pinnacle, Olson claims.
“With reduced spinal fluid strain, the headache may well make improvements to with lying down and worsen with standing.”
Should your symptoms don’t enhance after striving nonsurgical treatments, your Health care service provider might propose surgical treatment. Surgical treatment for occipital neuralgia try this out consists of:
Spinal wire stimulation: The surgeon will position the electrodes amongst the spinal twine and also the vertebrae.
The supplier will feel the back again of your neck page to Identify the focused occipital nerve. Occasionally, They could use imaging strategies (fluoroscopy or ultrasound) to Identify the nerve.