Occipital neuralgia is a type of headache. It can be very painful. It sometimes goes along with migraines. Other times, people may confuse it with migraines.
Occipital neuralgia happens when the nerves under your scalp get inflamed.
Certain conditions cause or lead to occipital neuralgia. But often, doctors aren't sure what causes it.
Medicines can help. Some people with occipital neuralgia may get relief from other treatments, including surgery.
Occipital neuralgia is a distinct headache marked by sudden and recurring jabs of piercing, throbbing pain.
The pain:
Irritated or injured occipital nerves usually cause the pain of occipital neuralgia.
This nerve damage can come from:
Occipital neuralgia is relatively rare. One study found that about 3 per 100,000 people have it.
However, it often overlaps with other illnesses, including migraines.
People with migraines can also have pain in and around their eyes. Arthritis in the neck also can cause a similar pain.
Doctors don't always know what causes occipital neuralgia.
Most of the time, an inflamed greater occipital nerve causes the pain. The lesser occipital nerve can also cause pain, but this is the case in only about 10% of the cases.
Many things can inflame the nerve, including:
Some conditions can increase your risk of having occipital neuralgia, such as:
Researchers are still trying to learn more about what increases someone's risk for these types of headaches.
Back to top.Some people have occipital neuralgia pain that is similar to migraines.
People may first go to the doctor for migraine pain. During their exam and testing, they learn they also have occipital neuralgia.
Unlike migraines, occipital neuralgia can last just seconds or minutes. It's often sharp and quick. It can also last much longer and turn into migraine-like pain.
Sometimes a movement as basic as brushing your hair can trigger it.
Pain that doesn't include light sensitivity or nausea is more likely occipital pain than migraine pain.
Occipital neuralgia symptoms may include:
Make an appointment to see a doctor if you have:
Occipital neuralgia is hard to diagnose. It shares symptoms with migraines and other types of headaches.
There's no single test that offers a solid diagnosis.
Rather, after a physical and neurological exam, doctors may order tests such as:
Doctors will often treat occipital neuralgia without surgery.
The goals of treatment are to help you manage symptoms and to get rid of the pain.
There's no single cure or treatment that works for everyone.
Doctors often start with conservative treatments and then progress to more invasive therapies. Keeping an open dialog with your doctor about your symptoms is vital.
Doctors typically manage occipital neuralgia without surgery.
Many people can improve the illness with techniques to manage pain, including:
If these treatments don't work, we can treat occipital neuralgia with surgery.
Surgery is a last resort for people who have painful symptoms after trying all other treatments.
Surgery depends on the person and may include:
UPMC neurosurgeons may recommend a mix of surgical and nonsurgical approaches to treat occipital neuralgia.
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