What is Occipital Neuralgia?
Occipital neuralgia is a debilitating, headache-like condition that produces pain in the back of the head and behind the ears. More severe than a standard headache, occipital neuralgia is characterized by episodes of intense throbbing or electric-shock-like pain. These episodes can continue for seconds, minutes, or in rare cases, hours.
Signs and Symptoms of Occipital Neuralgia
Because of the similarity in symptoms, occipital neuralgia is relatively easy to confuse with regular migraines or cluster headaches. Some of the most common symptoms of occipital neuralgia include pain in one side of the head, tenderness in the scalp, pain behind the eye and back of the head, pain exacerbated by neck movement, sensitivity to light, and, in some cases, sound.
How the Upper Cervical Spine Affects Occipital Neuralgia
Occipital neuralgia has a number of potential causes, including tight neck muscles and, more commonly, nerve irritation due to injury in the neck and upper cervical spine. Specifically, vertebral misalignment in the upper cervical spine can pinch or irritate the occipital nerve, a group of nerves branching across the scalp that supply sensation to the back of the head and face. Left untreated, pinching or irritation of this nerve may cause it to misfire, leading to the onset of occipital neuralgia symptoms.
How Our Treatment Works for Occipital Neuralgia
If you haven’t found any relief for occipital neuralgia through traditional treatments, our upper cervical chiropractic specialist, Dr. Gordon Elder, may be able to help. Dr. Elder uses a chiropractic technique known as Blair Upper Cervical Chiropractic care to treat issues that affect the upper cervical spine. This technique uses gentle correction techniques to adjust the upper cervical spine, precisely targeting spinal misalignments and re-engaging the body’s natural healing mechanisms.
During your first appointment, Dr. Elder will discuss your condition with you and perform a brief physical exam. If a misalignment is detected, Dr. Elder will use a series of diagnostic techniques, such as 3D imaging, to pinpoint the exact location of the misaligned vertebrae.
Once the position and severity of your upper cervical injury have been established, Dr. Elder will perform a series of low-force, non-invasive adjustments on your upper cervical spine, correcting the misaligned vertebrae and removing the underlying pressure on the occipital nerve. Over the course of 3-5 months, most patients average between 10 and 15 appointments with Dr. Elder. You may begin to see results immediately following your first adjustment, but Dr. Elder recommends patients visit at least once a month to ensure the adjustment is taking hold.
If you’re sick of living with occipital neuralgia, come and speak with Dr. Elder about the health of your upper cervical spine. Dr. Elder is based in Lubbock, Texas, but also services Amarillo, Midland, Odessa, Abilene, El Paso in Texas, and Hobbs in New Mexico.
Published by Vic Belonogoff: A Blair Chiropractic doctor helped heal vertigo, among other conditions that Vic Belonogoff suffered from, and it gave him his life back. He continues to see an upper cervical chiropractor as a preventative measure. Vic Belonogoff is passionate about upper cervical chiropractic and how much it helps patients.