What Is Occipital Neuralgia?

Head pain does not always originate inside the head.

Occipital neuralgia is a painful condition involving irritation of the occipital nerves, which travel from the upper neck and base of the skull into the scalp.

When these nerves become irritated, patients may experience sharp, burning, shooting, or electric sensations along the back or side of the head.

What Does Occipital Neuralgia Feel Like?

Pain often begins near the base of the skull and travels upward across the scalp.

Some patients describe brief electric shocks, while others experience persistent aching or burning.

Additional symptoms may include scalp tenderness, sensitivity when brushing the hair, discomfort behind the ear, upper neck pain, or headaches that seem to begin at the back of the head.

Symptoms may affect one side or both sides.

What Causes Occipital Neuralgia?

Occipital nerve irritation can have several potential causes.

Muscle tightness in the upper neck, cervical spine conditions, previous injury, scar tissue, nerve compression, and certain procedures or surgeries may contribute.

In other cases, no single cause can be identified immediately.

How Is It Diagnosed?

Because several types of headache and neck conditions can produce similar symptoms, a careful evaluation is important.

The physician may examine the cervical spine, muscles of the neck, scalp sensitivity, and the path of the occipital nerves.

Imaging may be ordered when a structural condition involving the cervical spine or surrounding tissues is suspected.

What Treatment Options Are Available?

Treatment depends on the suspected source of irritation.

Options may include physical therapy, medications, posture modification, treatment of surrounding muscle tension, occipital nerve blocks, or other targeted procedures.

The goal is to determine what is irritating the nerve and address that source whenever possible.

At Ospina Medical, patients with head and neck pain are evaluated from a musculoskeletal and neurological perspective to help distinguish occipital neuralgia from other potential causes of headache.