BK preserved 90% pain relief for 8 months, at which time her headache episodes returned. A repeat occipital nerve block was performed and the identical therapeutic response was obtained.
The location of your headache just isn't a foolproof approach to diagnose the cause, but it might be an excellent place to begin for figuring out the foundation of the issue.
The pain can be rigorous. A lot of people state that it seems like a migraine or cluster headache, Although they are different types and need diverse treatments.
It might also cause sensitivity to light, scalp tenderness and pain driving the attention over the affected facet. You might also experience pain at the base within your cranium or at the rear of your ear.
A CT scan is an X-ray method that mixes lots of X-ray images with the assist of a pc to deliver cross-sectional and a few-dimensional images of interior organs and constructions of your body.
Diagnosing occipital neuralgia is often tricky. The ailment causes a lot of the exact symptoms as migraines and also other headache Diseases. No one conclusive exam will affirm occipital neuralgia.
But that’s where by the similarities conclude. Occipital neuralgia and migraines require unique treatments because their resources of pain are different.
Occipital neuralgia is usually equally a Principal or secondary dysfunction, meaning it may possibly possibly be its individual ailment or simply a symptom of an fundamental disease.
If your pain is moderate to reasonable, you could really feel much better after each week or two of making use of treatments like medications, therapy and nerve blocks. If the pain is much more intense, it may consider 4 to six months before you notice an enhancement.
The pain expert in occipital neuralgia can be mimicked by other headache Issues. These include:
Some doctors carry out a nerve block utilizing a area anesthetic to find out if this will likely eliminate or alleviate the pain, assisting to here confirm the diagnosis. X-rays of the neck, CT scan, or MRI scan may be purchased when there is a concern that some underlying challenge is producing the symptoms.
In case your symptoms don’t improve after hoping nonsurgical treatments, your healthcare provider may well suggest surgery. Surgical treatment for occipital neuralgia incorporates:
“Together with headache, people with elevated spinal fluid force could experience sound while in the ears and see that the headache is worse when lying flat and improved whenever they sit or stand,” she says.
Nonetheless, Actual physical evaluation and evaluation on the heritage of the pain must reveal critical dissimilarities that will help result in the correct diagnosis.