Treating Occipital Neuralgia

Occipital neuralgia is a painful condition that can occur spontaneously to the back of the head. It may be attributed to a pinched nerve from the cervical nerve roots (such as from arthritis) or from a prior surgery to the scalp. Sometimes this pain occurs due to tight muscles that entrap the nerves in this area.

Recently, Advanced Spine and Pain (ASAP) saw a patient who presented to the office indicating that she has had pain at the back of her head. The patient described her pain as coming and going in its intensity for the past several months, but it had been becoming more noticeable. She reported trying to gently massage the area; however, this only seemed to aggravate the pain. She tried other gentle exercises and ice and heat to no avail. The patient denied any recent surgery, but no over the counter treatment was long-lasting. She agreed to try injection-based therapies to see if this would help.

ASAP’s patient followed up approximately three weeks later to state that she was noticing improvement and pain was less often. Though the pain was not completely gone, the injection was repeated a few weeks later and the patient was very happy with her results. She reported being able to look over her shoulder, look up to see the TV, and was able to participate more regularly in her activities. The patient stated that she would continue with exercise for now as her symptoms were much better. At ASAP, we love when patients come back to us reporting great results!