Treatments

Non-surgical Treatments

• Heat: patients often feel relief when heating pads or devices are placed in the location of the pain.
• Physical therapy or massage therapy.
• Oral Medication:
• Percutaneous nerve blocks: these injections can be used both to diagnose and treat occipital neuralgia.

If you are experiencing Trigeminal Neuralgia pain, chiropractic care may be able to help. An initial evaluation with a Chiropractor may be able to uncover some Upper Cervical problems that may be contributing to or directly causing Trigeminal Neuralgia. The pain is in the distribution of the fifth cranial nerve.

1. Apply heat to your neck.
2. Rest in a quiet room.
3. Massage tight and painful neck muscles.
4. Take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs, like naproxen or ibuprofen.

Occipital neuralgia is most commonly the result of trauma, such as whiplash or surgery. However, anything that irritates or compresses the occipital nerve may cause occipital neuralgia, including tight muscles, arthritic inflammation of the cervical vertebrae, or a tumor.

Occipital neuralgia can last for a very long time, but it may stop by itself after a while. Generally, occipital neuralgia is a long-term condition that requires treatment to lessen the pain.

Radiographic imaging is of limited utility in the diagnosis of occipital neuralgia but is primarily concerned with excluding structural pathology of the cord, the spine, the occipital nerves or adjacent structures. As such, MRI is best suited to this task 1,4.

Massage can be an effective way to relieve symptoms of occipital neuralgia, especially if from tight muscles. If your neck muscles are tight, then may cause entrapment of you nerve. During a massage session, your massage therapist will focus on these trigger points to help release any entrapment.

Posture issues may also cause occipital neuralgia if the patient’s head is often held forward and down, as this position can place excessive pressure on the nerve over time.

Whether it’s from a prolonged sitting activity, a lifting strain, or sleeping funny, unwarranted tension in the neck can put too much pressure on the occipital nerves.

Individuals may notice blurred vision as the pain radiates near or behind the eye. The neuralgia pain is commonly described as sharp, shooting, zapping, an electric shock, or stabbing. The bouts of pain are rarely consistent, but can occur frequently with some patients depending on the damage to the nerves.

Botox® injections can be helpful in treating both types of headaches, depending on each patient’s specific condition, and are particularly helpful for occipital neuralgia.

Occipital neuralgia can cause pain and throbbing in your neck, in the back or on one side of your head, and behind the ear. Some people feel pain in the forehead or behind the eyes.

Although this is not a condition that is life-threatening, the pain can be extremely debilitating for patients, many of whom find it difficult to continue with their ‘normal’ lives because the pain is simply excruciating and they find it hard to concentrate, or even function effectively.

Other symptoms typically associated with Occipital Neuralgia include pain behind the eyes, vision impairment, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), dizziness, nausea and a congested nose3.