It’s estimated that up to 40 percent of people with fibromyalgia experience migraines or another form of persistent headache. But like fibromyalgia, it’s difficult to discover what’s causing your headaches. And like fibromyalgia, migraines are often misdiagnosed. In fact, some people who experience persistent headaches don’t actually have migraines, but a related condition called occipital neuralgia.
Occipital neuralgia
Occipital neuralgia is a condition that causes chronic pain at the base of the skull. People often describe it as feeling like an electric shock or even stabbing the muscle. The pain usually radiates from the back of the head to the neck and out to the sides of the head or behind the eye.
The root of the disease lies in the occipital nerves. These are the nerves that run from the back of the neck and spine through the sides of the head to the scalp. But sometimes, injuries or inflammation of the spinal muscles cause tissue pressure on these nerves. This leads to a condition called neuralgia, where the nerves begin to send pain signals to the brain.
It produces headache-like side effects, making it difficult to diagnose the condition. Specialists can diagnose the problem by performing a physical exam, pressing their finger on the base of your skull to see if your pain is worsening.
Additionally, they can also give you something many call a nerve patch, which interrupts communication between nerves, which can help show that it’s neuralgia as opposed to headaches.
How is occipital neuralgia related to fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is threatened by several distinct conditions, some of which also contribute to neuralgic variables. For example, diabetes is a common complaint of people with fibromyalgia. Additionally, nerve damage from diabetes can significantly contribute to the risk of developing occipital neuralgia.
Additionally, fibromyalgia is known to make you more likely to develop autoimmune diseases. An autoimmune disease is a condition in which the body’s immune system begins to attack the body’s own tissues. This results in painful inflammation throughout the body.
And a common autoimmune disease is something called arteritis. Arteritis causes inflammation of the blood vessel walls. This inflammation can put pressure on the occipital nerves and can cause neuralgia. Additionally, fibromyalgia also appears to affect the nerves themselves. Fibromyalgia appears to trigger your nerves to send distress signals to the mind.
Additionally, similar neural associations may be associated with the manifestations of occipital neuralgia. Fibromyalgia appears to activate nerves to send pain signals to the brain. And it may be that the same nerve connections contribute to the symptoms of occipital neuralgia.
Diagnosis
Your doctor will ask you about your medical history and any injuries you have suffered. Doctors can diagnose the condition by performing a physical exam, pressing a finger on the base of your skull to see if the pain worsens. Additionally, you may also receive something called a nerve block, which disrupts the interaction between nerves, which can help show that you are dealing with neuralgia rather than migraines.
You may also have blood tests or an MRI if your doctor thinks your case is unusual. You need to get the right diagnosis to get the right treatment. For example, if you have occipital neuralgia and are prescribed a migraine medication, you may not get relief. But there are many different conditions that can lead to neuropathy, which is why it may affect people with fibromyalgia more often than the general population.
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Occipital neuralgia can cause extraordinary agony that feels like a sharp, stabbing electric shock in the back of the head and neck. Symptoms include pain behind the eye, scalp pain, pain when moving the neck, light sensitivity, pain, burning, and a stabbing pain that typically begins at the base of the head and extends to the scalp. Learn more about the signs of fibromyalgia here.
The causes of occipital neuralgia
Occipital neuralgia occurs when there is no pressure or discomfort on the occipital nerves, possibly due to injury, tense muscles entangling the nerves, or aggravation. Usually, specialists cannot determine the cause. Certain medical conditions are linked to it, such as neck pressure or tense neck muscles, injuries to the back of the head, neck tumors, cervical disc disease, and inflammation of the blood vessels.
Treatment
The first thing you’ll want to do is relieve your pain. You can try many things, such as resting in a quiet room, massaging tight and sore neck muscles, taking over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medications like naproxen or ibuprofen, and applying heat to your neck. If these don’t help, your doctor may prescribe medications, including nerve blocks and steroid injections.
Nerve blocks, which your doctor may perform to diagnose your condition, can also be a short-term treatment. Two to three injections may be given over several weeks to control your pain. It’s not uncommon for the problem to return at some point and you may need another round of injections. Muscle relaxants are also prescribed.
Surgery is rare but may be an option if your pain doesn’t improve with other treatments or if it returns. Surgery may include occipital nerve stimulation. Your doctor uses a device called a neurostimulator to deliver electrical impulses to the occipital nerves. They can help block pain messages to the brain. Microvascular decompression is also performed. Your doctor may be able to relieve pain by finding and adjusting blood vessels that may be compressing your nerves.
Occipital neuralgia is not a life-threatening condition. Most people get good pain relief with rest and medication. But if you still have pain, talk to your doctor. They’ll want to see if there’s another problem causing your pain.
