“ Some patients may describe specific trigger zones at which stimulation immediately triggers a painful attack ” onset occipital neuralgia , especially if abnormal neurological findings have been observed during the examination . Finally , patients with occipital neuralgia should respond to a diagnostic occipital nerve block . Occasionally , in very challenging cases , performing specific nerve block procedures may help differentiate between the pain from occipital neuralgia and the pain due to cervical spine abnormalities .
The pain associated with occipital neuralgia may be either acute or chronic . Acute pain , which represents the body ’ s protective mechanism , signals that the stimulation that has been received is potentially damaging to the tissue . In response , the body will try to eliminate it . For example , patients who experience severe occipital pain ( as in the case of occipital neuralgia ) may suddenly put their head in a certain position to alleviate the pain ; or , they may
stop the exact neck motion that produced the pain ( such as straining the neck backwards ). Most of these individuals may experience a sensation of tightness in the neck and shoulder areas or in the back of the head ( occipital region ). Instinctively , they may use muscle relaxants and / or anti-inflammatory agents to help reduce muscle tension , pressure , and localized swelling that may be causing or contributing to the compression of the greater or lesser occipital nerve . Once these protective mechanisms and actions have been utilized , the pain usually dissipates and may never re-occur unless a new injury is incurred .
Chronic pain occurs in those cases when the initial trauma has been resolved and the nervous tissue injury has healed , and yet the pain persists , and for the most part is unchanged . At this point , the chronic pain becomes the disease and not just a
12 HEAD WISE | Volume 3 , Issue 1 • 2013