Occipital Neuralgia, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

by Kenneth Kee

Overview

This book describes Occipital Neuralgia, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases
Occipital neuralgia is a distinct type of headache characterized by piercing, throbbing, or electric-shock-like chronic pain in the upper neck, back of the head, and behind the ears, usually on one side of the head
Typically, the pain of occipital neuralgia begins in the neck and then spreads upwards.
Some patients will also experience pain in the scalp, forehead, and behind the eyes.
Their scalp may also be tender to the touch, and their eyes especially sensitive to light.
The location of pain is related to the areas supplied by the greater and lesser occipital nerves, which run from the area where the spinal column meets the neck, up to the scalp at the back of the head
Causes
Occipital neuralgia happens when there is pressure or irritation to the occipital nerves due to:
1. An injury,
2. Tight muscles that entrap the nerves,
3. Inflammation.
The pain is caused by:
1. Irritation or injury to the nerves which can be the result of trauma to the back of the head,
2. Pinching of the nerves by overly tight neck muscles,
3. Compression of the nerve as it leaves the spine due to osteoarthritis, or
4. Tumors or other types of lesions in the neck.
Occipital neuralgia is also linked with:
1. Localized inflammation or infection,
2. Gout,
3. Diabetes,
4. Blood vessel inflammation (vasculitis), and
5. Frequent lengthy periods of keeping the head in a downward and forward position.
In many cases, however, no cause can be found.
Symptoms
Occipital neuralgia can cause intense pain that feels like a sharp, jabbing, electric shock in the back of the head and neck.
Other symptoms are:
1. Aching, burning, and throbbing pain that typically starts at the base of the head and goes to the scalp
2. Pain on one or both sides of the head
3. Pain behind the eye
4. Sensitivity to light
5. Tender scalp
6. Pain when the neck is moved
The most frequent occipital neuralgia symptoms are:
1. Sudden, severe, and sharp head pain
2. Pain that happens most frequently behind the eye, at the base of the head, and on one side of the head
3. Blurry vision
4. Dizziness
5. Vertigo
6. Slurred speech
7. Nausea
8. Vomiting
9. Tightness and pain in the neck
10. Dental pain
Diagnosis:
The doctor can diagnose this disorder by:
1. Reviewing the notes and potential triggers noted in the history
2. Conducting a thorough physical exam, including palpation of the occipital nerve area
3. Ordering other diagnostic tests as needed, such as MRIs, CT scans, X-rays, or blood tests
4. Performing a diagnostic occipital nerve block
Treatments
Treatment starts with diagnosis, continues with preventative efforts, and includes both interventional and complementary therapies to treat pain.
The first thing is to relieve the pain.
Home treatment:
1. Apply gentle heat to the neck.
2. Rest in a quiet room.
3. Massage gently the tight and painful neck muscles.
4. Take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs, like naproxen or ibuprofen.
If those do not help to relieve the pain, the doctor may prescribe medications, such as:
1. Prescription muscle relaxants
2. Anti-seizure drugs, such as carbamazepine and gabapentin
3. Antidepressants
4. Nerve blocks and short term steroid injections
A surgical operation is rarely advisable but it might be a choice if the pain does not get better with other treatments or recurs.
Possible surgery methods may be:
1. Micro-vascular decompression.
The doctor may be able to relieve pain by moving the blood vessels compressing the nerve.
2. Occipital nerve stimulation.
The doctor uses a device called a neuro-stimulator to stop pain messages to the occipital nerves.

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Occipital Neuralgia
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms
Chapter 4 Diagnosis
Chapter 5 Treatment
Chapter 6 Prognosis
Chapter 7 Trigeminal Neuralgia
Chapter 8 Migraine Headaches
Epilogue

Product Details

BN ID:	2940163214716
Publisher:	Kenneth Kee
Publication date:	05/08/2019
Sold by:	Smashwords
Format:	eBook
File size:	154 KB

About the Author

Medical doctor since 1972. Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009. Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993. Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 65. However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. He first started writing free blogs on medical conditions seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com. His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiolographical account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com. This autobiolographical account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Conditions” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com. From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 550 amazon kindle books and some into Smashwords.com eBooks. He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books. He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures. Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple. For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients. The later books go into more details of medical conditions. The first chapter of all my ebooks is always taken from my blog A Simple Guide to Medical Conditions which was started in 2007 as a simple educational help to my patients on my first blog http://kennethkee.blogspot.com. The medical condition was described simply and direct to the point. Because the simple guide as taken from the blog was described as too simple, I have increased the other chapters to include more detailed description of the illness, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. As a result there are the complaints by some readers of constant repetitions of the same contents but in detail and fairly up to date. He has published 550 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter. The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health conditions and not meant as textbooks. He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke. His clinic is now relocated to the Bouna Vista Community Centre. The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall. He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) starting with the Apple computer and going to PC. All the PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core. The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive. He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance. His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner. The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned. This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale. Dr Kee is the author of: "A Family Doctor's Tale" "Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine" "Case Notes From A Family Doctor"