There is often some symptoms which are regularly seen with migraine headaches or other headaches, which includes sensitivity to gentle or audio, or scalp tenderness.
The location within your headache isn't really a foolproof way to diagnose the cause, but it may be a very good starting point for determining the foundation of the issue.
“Occipital neuralgia can cause a taking pictures, stabbing, or burning pain that starts off in the back of The pinnacle. The pain can distribute towards the very best of The pinnacle or maybe for the forehead or temples,” Olson says.
Your provider will first do an extensive Actual physical Examination. They’ll request regarding your professional medical history and how much time you’ve been experiencing symptoms or if you have had any pain in the back of your head.
Occipital neuralgia can come to feel like a pointy, shooting pain in the back of The pinnacle, usually on 1 side. It would be called a throbbing or burning feeling.
Having said that, you could possibly knowledge occipital neuralgia together with Yet another headache style, including migraine or cluster headache
• In circumstances where the pain is episodic and predictable, i.e. it follows a pattern as well as symptoms can be anticipated to abide by certain routines, a simple anti-inflammatory or even a muscle relaxant on an as-required basis may be beneficial and do not have to be taken every day, restricting their use to simply right before accomplishing the exercise that is understood to cause the pain.
To diagnose occipital neuralgia, your medical doctor will conduct Actual physical and neurological examinations. They might also organize for an MRI or CT scan for a more in depth think about the physique buildings.
If these extra conservative solutions don’t get the job done, your health practitioner may possibly inject a local anesthetic into your occipital area, or back again of your head. This treatment can offer fast relief and very last for various several hours.
Here are a few alternatives that will help protect against occipital neuralgia. These involve anti-seizure medications and tricyclic antidepressants.
The most common cause of occipital neuralgia is pinched nerves or muscle tightness. You may additionally develop occipital neuralgia after a head or neck injuries.
During neurectomy, your surgeon will Minimize and remove the nerve that may be to blame for the pain. This may be the C2 or 2nd spinal nerve.
Occipital nerve blocks employing an injection of a local anesthetic and also a steroid agent may very well be done. These often are very prosperous in relieving Persistent pain for a number of weeks or months at a time.
If house remedies never present relief from Serious pain, chances are you'll prefer to check out other noninvasive or minimally invasive treatments right before click here thinking about surgical treatment. These choices can involve the next.