Presentation
On physical examination, a positive Tinel sign may be present with tenderness to percussion or palpation along the course of the occipital nerves. [practicalneurology.com]
J Neurol 2002 ; 249 ( 10 ): 1464 – 5. 7 Greater occipital neuralgia: An unusual presenting feature of neurosyphilis. Headache 1987 ; 27 : 552 – 4. 8 C2 myelitis presenting with neuralgiform occipital pain. [academic.oup.com]
[…] guez-Borrego MA 2018 12 Cervical myelitis presenting as occipital neuralgia. ( 29124999 ) Noh S.M....Kang H.G. 2017 13 Modified posterior C1 lateral mass screw insertion for type II odontoid process fractures using intraoperative CT-based spinal navigation [malacards.org]
Abstract The primary purpose of this case report is to outline the diagnosis, intervention and clinical outcome of a patient presenting with occipital neuralgia. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Musculoskeletal
- Neck Pain
Shared clinical features include occipital headache, neck pain, and fronto-orbital pain. Local anesthetic blocks have a dual role in providing diagnostic support and therapeutic relief. [practicalneurology.com]
Thus, it appears that subsequent four sessions of DN over two weeks, our patient experienced meaningful improvement in her neck pain and headaches. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Coding for Neck Pain Neck pain (Cervicalgia), along with Back and Low Back Pain, Shoulder Pain, and Knee Pain, is a very common chief complaint for orthopedic patient’s. [icd10orthocoder.com]
Patients with this type of headache may have increased pain when moving their neck. [medicinenet.com]
Symptoms include tender scalp, pain when moving the neck, sensitivity to light, pain behind the eye, burning pain that starts at the base of the head, and pain on one or both sides of the head. [healthresearchfunding.org]
- Pain In Thoracic Spine
[…] in thoracic spine M54.8 Other dorsalgia M54.81 Occipital neuralgia M54.9 Dorsalgia, unspecified M60.0 Infective myositis M60.00 Infective myositis, unspecified site M60.000 Infective myositis, unspecified right arm M60.001 Infective myositis, unspecified [icd10data.com]
Face, Head & Neck
- Tenderness of the Scalp
Some people may also have pain in forehead, scalp, and behind eyes and there maybe tenderness in the scalp and eyes become sensitive to light. [epainassist.com]
Some migraines or cluster headaches Spondylosis of the cervical facet joints A tender or painful scalp, which may be a sign of an inflamed nerve The Occipital Nerve Block Procedure The animation below shows an occipital nerve block being done. [cedars-sinai.edu]
Neurologic
- Neuralgia
Clinical Features Occipital Neuralgia Occipital neuralgia, as defined by the International Classification of Headache Disorders 3rd edition (ICHD-3),1 is described as unilateral or bilateral paroxysmal pain in the distribution of the greater, lesser, [practicalneurology.com]
How common is occipital neuralgia? True isolated occipital neuralgia is actually quite rare. [hopkinsmedicine.org]
Cervico-Occipital Neuralgia Pain Treatment in Indianapolis & Columbus Safe, Effective Treatments for Pain A type of headache called cervico-occipital pain, or occipital neuralgia, is characterized by piercing, throbbing, or shock-like sensations in the [americanpainconsortium.com]
[…] occipital nerve: An uncommon cause of occipital neuralgia. ( 26752925 ) 2015 47 Cryoablation for the treatment of occipital neuralgia. ( 26000683 ) 2015 48 Nurse-led treatment for occipital neuralgia. ( 26455130 ) 2015 49 Occipital neuralgia as a sequela [malacards.org]
neuralgia and additional synonyms M54.81 Occipital neuralgia Synonyms: Cervico-occipital neuralgia|Cervico-occipital neuralgia (finding) All content of the ICD-10 CM Search is based on the classifications and codes of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid [averbis.com]
- Headache
Occipital neuralgia and cervicogenic headache are causes of posterior-predominant headache treated in the outpatient setting. [practicalneurology.com]
Related Pediatric Headaches in Children Headaches Primary Stabbing Headache Headaches Chronic Daily Headache Related Topics Headache Head and Neck [hopkinsmedicine.org]
When you experience this type of headache, you may notice it begins in your neck and spreads upwards. [americanpainconsortium.com]
Headache classification Committee of the International Headache Society. Classification and diagnostic criteria for headache disorders, cranial neuralgias and facial pain. Cephalalgia 1988;8:61-71 4. Ehni G, Benner B. [pain-manage.org.tw]
The purpose of Chronic Daily Headache for Clinicians is to provide a practical guide for clinicians to both understand and manage patients with frequent headache. [books.google.com]
- Neck Stiffness
There are many causes of headaches, whether it be neck stiffness, trauma to the head such as concussion or such things as a disease. [osteo.co.uk]
"Red flags" Sudden onset of a new severe headache; A worsening pattern of a pre-existing headache in the absence of obvious predisposing factors; Headache associated with fever, neck stiff ness, skin rash, and with a history of cancer, HIV, or other systemic [physio-pedia.com]
- Frontal Headache
A person with occipital neuralgia may have posterior headache generated from greater occipital nerve compression but also experience frontal-orbital headache from the V1 distribution as referred pain. [practicalneurology.com]
Workup
Which is why Parker stressed the need for a medical workup first to eliminate any causes that require medical procedures first, such as tumors, vascular diseases, or infections. "And then they need to come see us," he added. [birminghammedicalnews.com]
Key points • For several cranial neuralgias, the diagnostic workup should include structural imaging with MRI with and without contrast to evaluate for evidence of inflammation or space-taking lesions, vascular imaging consisting of either MRA or CTA [medlink.com]
Treatment
Cervico-Occipital Neuralgia Pain Treatment in Indianapolis & Columbus Safe, Effective Treatments for Pain A type of headache called cervico-occipital pain, or occipital neuralgia, is characterized by piercing, throbbing, or shock-like sensations in the [americanpainconsortium.com]
There are other treatment options such as burning the nerve with a radio-wave probe or eliminating the nerve with a small dose of toxin. [hopkinsmedicine.org]
[…] of occipital neuralgia for nonsurgical candidates. ( 28517492 ) 2017 23 Occipital Nerve Stimulation for the Treatment of Refractory Occipital Neuralgia: A Case Series. ( 28634063 ) 2017 24 The treatment of occipital neuralgia: Review of 111 cases. [malacards.org]
Headaches should have a temporal relationship to the cervical spine disorder and improve in parallel with treatment of the underlying etiology. [practicalneurology.com]
Prognosis
Occipital headaches have a good prognosis and treatments have proved to work in even the severest cases. [bokus.com]
Group II is typically a painful postganglionic Homer syndrome with a self-limited course and excellent prognosis ( Salvesen 1999 ). Burning mouth syndrome. [medlink.com]
Read More Read Less Prognosis Prognosis Occipital neuralgia is not a life-threatening condition. Many individuals will improve with therapy involving heat, rest, anti-inflammatory medications, and muscle relaxants. [ninds.nih.gov]
Etiology
Headaches should have a temporal relationship to the cervical spine disorder and improve in parallel with treatment of the underlying etiology. [practicalneurology.com]
Evans RW, Garibay A, Foroozan R Etiology and Treatment Modalities of Occipital Artery Aneurysms. [medicbind.com]
Etiology It is usually idiopathic in nature. [practicalpainmanagement.com]
Using “pattern recognition”, many headache etiologies can be quickly identified, and then treated with ultrasound-guided injections that diagnose and treat the underlying condition. [apicareonline.com]
Etiology .— Predisposing Causes .—Neuralgia is a disease of middle life, being very rare in children or persons of extreme age, and occurs in men more frequently than in women, though females of a neurotic temperament are quite often affected. [henriettes-herb.com]
Epidemiology
Epidemiology of occipital neuralgia. Occipital neuralgia is very uncommon, at least as compared to migraine. [dizziness-and-balance.com]
Epidemiology/Etiology Of all chronic headaches, the incidence of cervicogenic headache has been estimated to be 14-18%, though in a recent population-based study a 2.2% prevalence was found [7]. [physio-pedia.com]
Vaga study of headache epidemiology. Cephalalgia. 2005;25(4):296-304. [PubMed] [Free full text] Andersen NB, Bovim G, Sjaastad O. The frontotemporal peripheral nerves. [apicareonline.com]
Pathophysiology
Pathophysiology of Occipital Neuralgia or C2 Neuralgia The pathophysiology of Occipital Neuralgia or C2 Neuralgia is unknown although it may by secondary to whiplash injuries as well as systemic or local diseases. [epainassist.com]
Treatment should be targeted to the underlying pathophysiology and may require nonpharmacologic therapies, medical management, and interventional and surgical measures. ACY reports no disclosures [practicalneurology.com]
Since occipital neuralgia is pathophysiologically seen as a cervico-occipito-trigeminal complex, C2 spinal ganglion block therefore is an effective interventional procedure to differentiate the complicated causes of occipital pain including C1-C3 root [pain-manage.org.tw]
So rather than performing destructive procedures such as cutting the nerve which leads to numbness, this new innovative procedure addresses the underlying pathophysiology and removes whatever may be pressing on the C-2 nerve root. [drjho.com]
Cervicogenic headache: anatomic basis and pathophysiologic mechanisms. Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2001; 5 :382–386. [ PubMed ] [ Google Scholar ] 23. Le Doaré K, Akerman S, Holland PR, Lasalandra MP, Bergerot A, Classey JD, Knight YE, Goadsby PJ. [ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Prevention
Treatable - 0% Emergent - ED Care Needed - Preventable/Avoidable - 0% Emergent - ED Care Needed - Not Preventable/Avoidable - 0% Primary diagnosis of injury 0% Primary diagnosis of mental health problems 0% Primary diagnosis of substance abuse 0% Primary [medicbind.com]
Nerve block injections may help to prevent pain associated with ON. A physical therapist can teach individuals exercises to help prevent occurrences and for getting through painful and symptomatic episodes of ON. [verywellhealth.com]
Can occipital neuralgia headache be prevented? In many cases, the cause of occipital neuralgia is not found so it's difficult to determine how to prevent this condition. [medicinenet.com]
Nonetheless, the condition can be quite debilitating and can prevent sufferers from maintaining employment as a result. [disability-benefits-help.org]
Preventive monotherapies (verapamil, valproate and steroids) previously prescribed by other physicians had been ineffective. [scielo.br]