Treating Occipital Neuralgia Headaches addressing abnormal neuromuscular righting reflexes By Erik Dalton , Ph . D .
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oor posture may start as a “ tissue issue ” due to tension , trauma , or overuse injuries . Eventually , however , it manifests as a sign of functional weakness in the brain ’ s hardware . This weakness may stem from faulty peripheral input , inaccurate cortical processing , flawed output , or a combination of these factors ( Figure 1 ).
The head houses sensory organs ( teleceptors ) that connect us to the distant world . When floating comfortably atop the spine , cranial teleceptors reflexively orient head placement using light , sound , and gravitational sensory information . However , our brains are often unable to make sense of visual input without movement . The eyes must constantly move ( saccades ) for light to traverse across the retina , which allows the CNS to construct visual images by comparing adjoining structures in the environment . Teleceptor function is compromised when the head is persistently maintained in an abnormal position ( Figure 2 ). As spastic neck and jaw muscles inflict whole-body reflexive movement constraints , CNS “ noise ” heightens and so does the body ’ s stress response .
A catch-22 occurs when a poorly aligned body initiates head righting reflexes that trigger spasm and mechanically alter spinal joint movement . When hyperexcited joint and ligament mechanoreceptors initiate protective splinting , some muscles overwork and others are inhibited . This results in reduced mobility , excessive energy consumption , exhaustion , and , if the brain perceives threat , pain .
Occipitoatlantal ( O-A ) Joint Mechanics The O-A joint is the uppermost weight-bearing synovial joint in the body and is the final junction for adapting to asymmetry or dysfunction from below . Mechanically , the head teeters on the two condyloid joints ( shaped like cupped palms tipped slightly medially ) that make up the O-A joint . This design allows the head to nod back and forth and side to side .
Since the O-A joint surrounds and attaches to the brain stem , which controls all basic body functions ( including breathing and heartbeat ), poor alignment may have widespread consequences . For example , if the O-A joint on one side develops a restriction , the crooked occiput may set off local neurological reflexes that increase muscle tension in the suboccipitals , and which may compress and irritate the greater occipital nerve ( Figure 3 ). Patients that present with occipital neuralgia commonly complain of pain referring up the back of the head and around the side , sometimes reaching into the orbital region .
These headaches usually result from holding an awkward , static head posture . Prolonged , non-neutral postures with the head tilted on the neck can cause mechanoreceptor excitability in surrounding muscles , ligaments , and joint capsules as the O-A condyles are crammed closed on one side . Examples might include a plumber who works under a sink with his head cocked to one side or an office worker who secures a telephone with her shoulder and chin . Patience ’ s whose computer monitors sit either too high or too low may develop bilateral O-A restrictions leading to global head pain .
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