Occipital nerve neuralgia: causes, symptoms and treatment

neuralgia of the occipital nerve, the symptoms of which are extremely unpleasant, is a disease accompanied by pain shooting character in the neck and the head. Such feelings arise from the fact that trapped the nerve that surrounds the tissue in this area. If the disease progresses, we begin to break the cervical roots. They form an occipital nerve. Then the pain becomes permanent state. If the attack occurs again, then any head movement will cause not only pain, but also vomiting, nausea, dizziness, loss of coordination and even fainting. Although the symptoms will depend on whether bilateral neuralgia, as well as the individual characteristics of each patient. Quite often the pain is so strong that from the back of the head give in the forehead, eyes, temples.

it is Very important that the patient not put yourself diagnosis only on the basis of shooting pain in the back of his head. TOOOhis disease can easily be confused with other diseases. For example, symptoms similar to the symptoms of neuritis, however, the treatment will be different.

Such diseases as neuralgia of the occipital nerve, the treatment must be immediate, is very dangerous. It can result in the death of the entire column of nerve, and not just its roots. Therefore, when the first symptoms should immediately consult a physician. Only he can check the body and to establish the diagnosis, to choose effective therapies for this disease.

Factors of development

Neuralgia can be of several types. The disease may be idiopathic, i.e. no visible preconditions arose. In this case, the neuralgia will be primary, but secondary type of the disease is manifested after the person had trauma. Although secondary neuralgia can cause a tumor or other processes.

so, neuralgia can be caused by several reasons.

first, if the man had muscle tension for a long period, neuralgia of the cervical spine may gradually appear. This occurs most often due to a sedentary lifestyle. You need to walk and move around.

second, to cause this disease can severe stress. An emotional outburst will lead to inflammation of the nerve.

Third, neuralgia may be a side effect of osteoarthritis when a person has herniated discs or protrusions, mechanical damage, because when injuries and strokes can also be affected nerve.

fourthly, it can become inflamed due to hypothermia. In osteoarthritis, which affects the upper sector of the cervical spine can also be affected nerve on the back of his head. Incidentally, meningitis, encephalitis and other diseases that are of infectious type, can also cause neuralgia, as the inflammatory process caused by infection, may spread to the cervical nerve. The same applies to gout, inflammatory processes in blood vessels, diabetes, and other types of diseases in which there are disorders in the spine (for example, tuberculous spondylitis).

Symptoms of neuralgia occipital nerve

The Main signs of this disease is severe pain in the head. And this pain will have an unusual character. It will occur very suddenly, especially in cases where a person tries to turn his head or do any touch the neck because there is a sore nerve. The pain will mainly occur in the neck, behind the ears and at the nape. However, very often it spreads to the eyes, the forehead, temples and under-eye area. Oddly enough, the pain most often capture only one half of the head, although do not rule out that the neuralgia will be distributed on both sides of the head. The pain will be similar to the chamber. She suddenly starts, as if firing, and as abruptly ends.

In Addition to pain in the neck and head, the person will experience discomfort of any touch in the area where this nerve is distributed. In addition, there is photophobia, at least increased sensitivity to light.

Very often neuralgia can be confused with migraine, since many of the symptoms are similar. But with their constant appearance is to go to the hospital.

Diagnosis

To choose how to treat the patient, the physician must examine the patient and perform some diagnostic activities. Diagnosis is difficult, because the causes that lead to occurrence of pain can be different. Before you can assign a medication treatment, the doctor needs to do an x-ray. Itwill help to determine the status of the bone system. You will also need a CT scan, because this procedure will help to get the image of all the layers of fabric. This method is considered as one of the most accurate for determining neuralgia. Need magnetic resonance imaging. It helps to define the processes in soft tissues and bone.

treatment Tactics and drugs

To Cure this disease can by two methods. You can choose medication. It is considered to be conservative. In severe cases, only helps the more radical the treatment, and then you need to choose surgical intervention.

With the help of the conservative treatment, can eliminate pain. To achieve this result, required constant rest, heat therapy sore spot, a massage. In addition, the necessary drugs. Be sure to use drugs that are muscle relaxants. It is also important to take drugs which have anticonvulsant properties. These include Finlepsin and gabapentin.

One of the best methods of treatment of neuralgia is the nerve block.

This will require the administration of steroid drugs with anti-inflammatory drugs. These include dexamethasone, kenalog, gidrokortizon, metipred and other drugs.

But to take these drugs are prohibited because they can cause complications and side effects. If the disease has passed into a chronic form, and the medication no longer helps, it is necessary to perform surgical intervention to treat the patient. There are two types of such operations.

In the first case, neurostimulation is carried out, since the occipital nerve should be stimulated. To do this, the nerve to fail the transaction. Then let the electric current, it blocks the pain sensations that pass the trunk and roots of the nerve. After that, the patient will experience only low-intensity vibration or a feeling that in the back of the head spreads the heat. This procedure has its advantages. First, patients in most cases do not suffer from side effects. And secondly, when this procedure is performed a minimum of mechanical damage, because you need to hold only the wires to the nerve.

The Second option is surgery called decompression microvasculature type. To do this, the surgeon requires microsurgical technique. With it you can eliminate pressure on the occipital nerve. This will lead to the fact that pain will be eliminated.

In rare cases, neither conservative nor surgical treatment does not help the patient. Then it is necessary to conduct the re-diagnosis of the patient.

Before you use home treatments, you must consult your doctor. Traditional methods of treatment can be used as a Supplement to basic techniques. Only then the treatment will be effective among the same folk remedies neuralgia not cure.

Well help packs of pickled cucumbers, onions and potatoes, which are filled with vinegar. Effective will be herbal teas from thyme, oregano and mint. This broth can be poured into the bathroom. You can do the ear drops from the juice of raw beetroot.

All of these methods will help to eliminate the symptoms of neuralgia, as well as to cure it.