Occipital pain
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Causes of Occipital Pain
Among the most common causes of pain in the nape is pain due to the strain of the extensor muscles of the neck that are located directly above the occiput.
Pain in the nape may be irradiating (giving off) to the neck, so a person can mistakenly assume that his neck hurts, and not the neck. In this case, any turn of the head can be painfully affected by poor health and even loss of consciousness. Even touching the nape can be very painful.
Pain in the nape may also occur due to overexertion of the head or neck muscles. Occipital pain can bother a person due to trauma, compressed nuchal nerves or squeezing the upper nerve roots that are in the spinal cord. Causes of pain in the nape may be the dorsal ganglia, and the dorsal horn - the lateral parts of the spinal cord, similar to the horns, which is why they got their name.
For the occipital headache is characterized by paresthesia or hypersensitivity to pain in the tissues of the scalp and neck skin. The cause of headache in the nape may be occipital neuralgia, cervical spondylosis, myogeelosis of the cervical spine, stress, mental overstrain and other diseases.
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Cervical spondylosis
This is a chronic disease of the spine. In this disease, the spine and beak-shaped sharp edges of the vertebrae are deformed-osteophytes, which are located at the edges of the vertebral bodies. According to some reports, osteophytes are the formations that grow directly on the bone. They are called salt deposits, but this is far from being the case. In fact, osteophytes grow because of the degeneration of the ligaments of the bone. In the cervical spine, there is often a disease called spondylosis, which is associated with age-related changes in the cervical spine.
Spondylosis can disturb those people who move little and work mentally, overextending cervical vertebrae.
Common symptoms of cervical spondylosis - pain, pain in the shoulders, pain behind the head, pain in the eyes, hurt even the ears. This pain does not pass even in a state of rest, when a person tries not to move his head. The neck too can not move because of pains, the person can not turn the head.
Patients who suffer from spondylosis can not move fully, they find it difficult even to fall asleep properly, they can not find a normal position for sleep. Inconvenient position of the neck muscles leads to a load on the neck joints and cervical ligaments, as well as the whole spine as a whole.
Spondylosis is characterized by prolonged pain in the spine, in the neck, and head movement is difficult. When the doctor examines the patients, he immediately discovers that the movement of the vertebrae of the neck is difficult, the neck does not turn. It is only necessary to press the back of the joint between the vertebrae, the person feels severe pain, especially when the head is turned back. Pain in spondylosis does not go away so soon, they last for a long time.
Myogelosis of cervical department
This disease is characterized by a greater density of the neck muscles than usual. In this case, strong occipital pain is observed.
Among the most popular causes of myoglosis:
- Frequent and long-term presence in an uncomfortable posture
- Frequent drafts
- Wrong posture
- Stress of nerves, stressful situations
- Myogeelosis of the muscles of the cervical spine can be determined by the following symptoms
- Pain in the back of the head
- Shoulder pain and limitation of shoulder movements
- Often dizzy
- Nerve tension, which manifests itself after severe stress, chronic or acute
- Overexertion due to exercise, overexertion due to work at the computer or driving
In the risk groups of those who suffer from myoglosis, most often are women, because they are most often engaged in small routine work. The peak of the disease is 30 years, and at this age the occipital pains tend to increase more often.
Occipital neuralgia
Occipital neuralgia refers to pain due to inflammation or compression of the large occipital nerve at the outlet between the occiput and the first vertebra of the neck.
As a rule, pain in this disease is given to the eye area, but can include irradiation to the occipital region. Occipital pain, as a rule, rather sharp.
Occipital neuralgia is a neurological condition in which the occipital nerves, which pass from the upper part of the spinal cord at the base of the neck upwards through the scalp, become inflamed. Occipital neuralgia can be confused with migraine or other kinds of headache, because the symptoms may be similar. But occipital neuralgia is an independent disorder that requires an accurate diagnosis and which must be treated properly.
Symptoms of the occipital neuralgia
Occipital neuralgia can lead to very intense pain, which manifests itself as acute, like an electric shock in the back of the head and neck. Other symptoms of occipital neuralgia may include:
- Pain, burning and throbbing pain, which usually begins at the base of the head and gives to the scalp
- Pain on one or both sides of the head
- Pain in the area behind the eyes
- Strong sensitivity to light
- Discomfort and pain in the scalp
- Pain in the neck
Causes of occipital neuralgia
Occipital neuralgia is the result of compression or irritation of the occipital nerves due to trauma, infringement of nerves or their inflammation. The exact causes of the occipital neuralgia have not yet been found.
There are many diseases that are associated with occipital neuralgia, including:
- Injury of occiput
- Stress of neck and / or neck muscles
- Osteoarthritis
- Neck Tumor
- Diseases of cervical spinal discs
- Infection
- Gout
- Diabetes
- Inflammation of blood vessels
Diagnosis of the occipital neuralgia
If you think that you have an occipital neuralgia, make an appointment with a doctor. The doctor will ask questions about your medical history and the injuries that you have recently suffered.
For more accurate diagnosis, the doctor can prescribe a general blood test and MRI. The doctor may also prescribe an anesthetic cervical nerve block to see if the pain alleviates this method. If the blockade helps, the cause of the pain is most likely the occipital neuralgia.
Treatment of occipital neuralgia
Treatment of the occipital pain due to this disease depends on what causes inflammation or irritation of the occipital nerves. There are a number of things that you can try to relieve the occipital pain, including:
- Apply heat to the neck.
- Relax in a quiet room.
- Massage of hard and painful neck muscles.
- Try anti-inflammatory drugs, such as naproxen or ibuprofen
- If these measures of anesthesia do not work, your doctor may prescribe the following drugs to treat the occipital neuralgia:
- Muscle relaxants
- Anticonvulsants
- Antidepressants
- Short-term blockages of neck areas and steroid injections
Surgical intervention may include the following:
Microvascular decompression. During this procedure, the doctor can reduce pain by detecting and correcting blood vessels that can cause nerve compression.
Occipital nerve stimulation. In this procedure the neurostimulator is used to assign electrical impulses to the occipital nerves. These electrical impulses can help block the pain, the signals about which are sent to the brain.
Occipital neuralgia is not a life-threatening condition. Most people receive significant pain relief by resting and taking pain medications. However, if you do not get relief and continue to experience pain in the occipital region and neck, inform the doctor about it. The cause of the pain may be another disease that you did not even suspect.
What are the symptoms of an occipital headache?
The difference between an occipital headache and other forms of headache can be difficult due to a significant coincidence of symptoms. Occipital pain is usually localized in that part of the neck where many occipital nerves pass. Inflamed nerves instantly react to palpation.
Who should I contact if you have occipital pain?
Occipital pain is a symptom that can not be ignored. At least because this pain is not exacerbated and does not entail a complete loss of ability to work. The neurologist and therapist will help to diagnose and treat the occipital pain.