The Migraine Freedom Blog by Debbie Waidl

Neck Tension: Pinpointing the Cause Between Prodrome, Occipital Neuralgia, and Nerve Pain

Last week, our discussion focused on the trigeminal nerve. If you haven’t checked out that blog post yet, I highly recommend taking a look before diving into today’s blog.

This week, we're focusing on another culprit behind your discomfort and canceled plans: the occipital nerve.

About the Occipital Nerve

The occipital nerve is similar to the trigeminal nerve because it has three branches. However, the similarity stops there.

The occipital nerve originates from the c2, c3, and spinal nerves. The trigeminal nerve originates from the brain.

Many people who experience migraines also have pain in the back of their head (occipital area). While the occipital nerve isn’t as directly linked to migraines as the trigeminal nerve, it's possible for inflammation in one nerve to spread to nearby nerves.

This pain can sometimes extend into the neck and shoulders, which is one reason why migraine sufferers often experience pain in these areas.

The Struggle of Occipital Neuralgia (ON)

Occipital Neuralgia (ON) is a condition caused by irritated or damaged occipital nerves. These nerves run from the top of your spine, up your neck, and into your scalp.

ON can lead to intense, migraine-like pain at the back of your head. It can spread to different areas depending on the individual, but it often feels like a severe, burning sensation on the scalp that’s extremely sensitive to touch.

Occipital Neuralgia Symptoms

Occipital Neuralgia has symptoms that include:

Pain on only one side: There are two sets of occipital nerves running up the scalp on each side, which makes ON look a lot like a migraine.

Continuous aching, burning, and throbbing: This pain isn’t just any ache. It is continuous, with intermittent shocking or shooting stabbing pain. This generally starts at the base of the head and goes to the scalp on one or both sides of the head.

Pain behind your eyes: You may experience pain behind your eyes and ears, coupled with numbness.

Pain with everyday actions: Brushing your hair or resting your head against a pillow can become unbearable.

Occipital Nerve vs. Headaches

In some cases, blocking the occipital nerve can temporarily help reduce headaches in the front of the head.

If you want lasting relief, you need to focus on reducing inflammation.

A person can have occipital nerve involvement during a migraine, but it doesn’t mean they have Occipital Neuralgia.

The Triggers of Occipital Neuralgia

Understanding what triggers occipital neuralgia (ON) is essential for managing the condition effectively.

While both common and less common triggers exist, identifying your specific causes can help you make informed decisions about your relief plan.

So, what commonly causes occipital neuralgia?

It's widely believed that nerve entrapment or inflammation are the primary culprits.

Inflammation itself can lead to nerve entrapment, which is why you must address inflammation early on to prevent it from being chronic.

Less Common Causes of Occipital Neuralgia

While nerve entrapment and inflammation are the main triggers, there are less common causes that can lead to occipital neuralgia, including:

Head trauma, such as injuries from a car accident or sports
Neck tension, which can come from poor posture or chronic stress
Tumors in the neck or head area, pressing against nerves
Severe cervical disc disease, a more advanced form of disc degeneration
Conditions like gout, further infections, diabetes, and osteoarthritis, all of which are linked to inflammation within the body.

Can we see that key connection here?

Each cause points to inflammation as a key factor.

Inflammation: The Silent Culprity

Addressing inflammatory conditions mitigates the risk of developing occipital neuralgia and other health concerns in the future.

Even pharmaceutical companies recognize inflammation as a primary factor in migraines, as evidenced by the production of anti-inflammatory medications.

The occipital neuralgia can actually trigger secondary migraines, meaning the migraines aren't genetic but a result of the neuralgia.

When both conditions are present, it makes it much more difficult to determine the root cause.

It's important to note that migraine symptoms can differ between individuals with and without occipital neuralgia.

Migraine Symptoms With ON vs. Without ON

Unlike migraines, occipital neuralgia (ON) doesn’t typically result in an aura. Traditional migraine triggers like weather, hormones, food, or light don't usually cause ON.

ON pain is distinct: sharp, intense, and short-lived, often described as a flash or burst of light that lasts only minutes. This is unlike the prolonged, throbbing pain associated with migraines.

While occipital nerves can be involved in migraines, persistent, severe, and lightning-fast pain along the entire nerve is more indicative of ON.

It's important to understand that inflammation in one nerve can spread to others. A stimulated and inflamed trigeminal nerve (linked to migraines) might cause inflammation in the occipital nerve. However, most people experience occipital pain only during migraines, suggesting it's a migraine symptom rather than ON.

The distinction between the two is not always clear. Because of this, diagnoses of Occipital Neuralgia may not be warranted, and at other times, a diagnosis of ON might be missed.

Occipital Neuralgia Treatment

Regular exercise such as stretching and yoga.
Apply heat from heating pads to the scalp or where the pain is felt most.
Physical therapy or massage therapy to help relax muscles and ease pressure in the tender area. This can make the pain worse, so if you experience chronic inflammation think twice before trying this method.
And most importantly, reduce chronic inflammation in all six key areas for lasting relief.

In Conclusion

If you experience migraines, inflammation of your trigeminal nerve is likely. This inflammation can lead to facial symptoms like congestion, droopy eyes, jaw pain, and even drooling.

It may also spread to your occipital nerve, causing neck, shoulder, and upper back pain, as well as scalp sensitivity.

Unless your pain is intensely sharp, lightning-like, and extremely brief, you probably don't have trigeminal or occipital neuralgia.

Remember, you have significant control over inflammation and pain. By managing inflammation, you can significantly reduce your discomfort, no matter what your diagnosis is.

Start your journey toward pain freedom today by completing our Migraine Sensitivity Scorecard. Understanding your challenges is a significant step towards overcoming them! Once you receive your results, reach out to us for the accompanying training.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Debbie Waidl is the Owner of In The Balance Health Coaching LLC, and Founder of The Freedom From Migraines Method™ & The Migraine Freedom Protocol™
She supports busy moms living with Migraines.

Debbie will uncover what is holding them back from migraine freedom so they can live their life pain and symptom free, work productively, spend the time they want with family and friends, and stop missing out on the things they enjoy.

A message from Debbie:
"I was once right where you are now. 100% believing there was NO WAY to end migraines and my only option was to learn how to live with them or find that magic pill that maybe would work for a while. If anyone told me back then that I could end my pain once and for all, I would have called BS and popped another pill!

Skeptical times 10 was my middle name for sure because when you try it all and everyone tells you they can help you and they don’t. You stop believing… you lose HOPE!

I now realize I was approaching my migraines all backward.

I was trying to cover up symptoms versus trying to end my pain."

share this post

Join

more...

book a call

shop

The Relief After the Rx: Beating migraines naturally

By Debbie Waidl | September 16, 2024

The Relief After the Rx: Beating migraines naturally Visiting the doctor for migraines usually means leaving with a ...

By Debbie Waidl | September 9, 2024

Neck Tension: Pinpointing the Cause Between Prodrome, Occipital Neuralgia, and Nerve Pain Last week, our discussion focused on ...

By Debbie Waidl | September 2, 2024

What The Nerve: Your Trigeminal Nerve's Secret Role in Migraines The trigeminal nerve is something we're all too ...

By Debbie Waidl | August 19, 2024

Breathe Easy Again: Identifying and Overcoming Fragrance Triggers Humans possess the remarkable ability to detect over 1 trillion ...

By Debbie Waidl | August 12, 2024

Navigating the School Year with Less Stress and Fewer Migraines We all know how it feels when September ...

By Debbie Waidl | August 5, 2024

Jaci's Path: When Conventional Medicine Meets Functional Medicine for Migraine Relief Imagine someone who knows exactly what you're ...

The information provided in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. This blog is not meant to be used, nor should it be used, to diagnose or treat any medical condition. For diagnosis or treatment of any medical problem, consult your own physician. The publisher and author are not responsible for any specific health or allergy needs that may require medical supervision and are not liable for any damages or negative consequences from any treatment, action, application or preparation to any person reading or following the information in this blog. References are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of any websites or other sources. Readers should be aware that the websites listed in this blog, including their content, may change at any time without notice.