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

By Kenneth Kee

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 Oc

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Kee
• Release date: May 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9780463822302

Kenneth Kee

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 70. 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 disorders 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 autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com This autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” 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 1000 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 disorders. He has published 1000 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 disorders 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 Buona 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. The entire 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"

Book preview

Occipital Neuralgia,

A

Simple

Guide

To

The Condition,

Diagnosis,

Treatment

And

Related Conditions

By

Dr Kenneth Kee

M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

Copyright Kenneth Kee 2019 Smashwords Edition

Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated

To my wife Dorothy

And my children

Carolyn, Grace

And Kelvin

This book describes Occipital Neuralgia, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

(What You Need to Treat Occipital Neuralgia)

This e-Book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

I have been writing medical articles for my blog: http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

I then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog: http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

This autobiography account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 eBooks.

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 disorders.

The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

Chapter 1

Occipital Neuralgia

What is Occipital neuralgia?

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

What are the causes of Occipital Neuralgia?

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,