Occipital Neuralgia Treatment: Understanding Your Option

What Is Neuralgia?

Neuralgia is pain that affects the face, skull, or neck due to compression, irritation, or infection. Occipital Neuralgia Treatments depend upon the severity of the disease; it is an irritation or injury of the occipital nerves, which extend to the scalp from the upper part of the spinal cord. This inflammation causes, among other symptoms, severe pain in the back of the head or at the base of the skull and visual problems or distress. It is considered the most common neuropathy (disease of the tangential or central nervous system).

Why is it different from a headache? The pain appears in the face and not in the head.

Types of Neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia or tic pain. It causes pain, similar to an electric shock in a particular area of ​​the face.

• The pain comes and goes suddenly and lasts about 2 minutes.
• It can develop for no clear reason or as a result of a before diagnose disorder.

Causes of Neuralgia

In some cases, it appears for no apparent reason. In other cases it is a consequence of:

• Infection of a nerve
• Herpes zoster
• Structural alteration

If it affects a nerve that transmits nerve stimuli to the head, it can cause headaches.

Symptoms of Occipital Neuralgia

The main symptoms of occipital neuralgia or Arnold’s neuralgia are:

• Sharp, severe pain in the back of the head or neck. This is the main symptom.
• Pain on one or both sides of the head.
• Excessive sensitivity to sound.
• Excessive sensitivity of the scalp.

Diagnosis of Neuralgia

It varies according to its type. The most common diagnostic tests are.

• Analysis of clinical history allows detecting if you have suffered cerebrovascular events,
• In some cases, a plain X-ray or cervical CT scan may be done.
• Sensory quantitative test
• ENT exam (ear, nose, and throat)
• Local anesthetic to know if the pain disappears or not

Occipital Neuralgia Treatments

Non-Surgical Occipital Neuralgia Treatments

Some of the non-surgical treatment of occipital neuralgia are as follow 

• Resting in a dark and quiet room
• Applying a mild heat source to the head and/or neck
• Massage the affected area
• over-the-counter pain relievers
• Prescription drugs to relax muscles
• Nerve blocks
• Steroid injection to relieve inflammation around the occipital nerves

The therapeutic actions for the treatment of the cause of Occipital Neuralgia are:

1. Nutritional advice: where it is recommend to avoid consuming certain foods that impair the functioning of the liver and gallbladder. It is recommended to eliminate certain foods that are pro-inflammatory.
2. Deconstructing massage: with it the tone of the contracted sub occipital muscles is normalized.
3. Osteopathy and manual therapy: manipulations targeting the cervical and dorsal vertebrae. It helps to restore mobility to the entire cervical and sub occipital region.
4. Assessment of stress and emotional alterations: through breathing and relaxation techniques, the negative influence that certain stressful situations have on the cervical area is reduce.
5. Treatment with medicinal plants: focused on improving the functional harmony of the liver and gallbladder, stopping the reflex tension in the nape area.

Surgical Occipital Neuralgia Treatments

There are rare cases in which surgery must be perform to correct the condition, specifically:

• Microvascular Decompression

Microvascular decompression, as a way to relieve pressure and eliminate pain by tightening the blood vessels that compress the nerve in the affected area.

Most patients notice a significant improvement in the condition after a week to 10 days of self-care, rest, and medication (if prescribed).

• Occipital Nerve Stimulation

Occipital nerve stimulation was first used in 1976 but is still considered a treatment in development. The occipital nerve arises at the base of the neck. In occipital nerve stimulation, doctors implant a small device at the base of the skull with electrodes that are connected to a power source (pulse generator) that sends electrical impulses to the occipital nerve.

Risks associated with occipital nerve stimulation include the possible need for surgical correction of the location of the wires after the procedure and infection, pain, and muscle spasms.

Hope this article helps you to know the occipital neuralgia treatment options you have to cure it !