The aim is to reduce the severity of the pain, to keep its interference with the patient's daily activity to a minimum and to preserve quality of life as far as possible.
Occipital neuralgia comes with attacks in the back of the head, in the area supplied by the occipital nerves (gen.—n. occipitalis major/minor). The pain is usually burning, sharp and shooting (paroxysmal) in character.
Treatment is based on a combination of symptomatic and preventive methods. At the first stage the pain can be eased with local painkillers or with nerve blocks (an occipital nerve block, for example). This approach is often effective and brings patients relief.
In constant, uninterrupted pain, injections of botulinum toxin may be used as an alternative. By reducing nerve stimulation temporarily, this helps to bring the frequency and intensity of the pain back to normal.
If these methods are not sufficient, trigeminal nerve blocks and invasive nerve stimulation (occipital nerve stimulation) may be considered. During treatment the patient's functional status and the course of the pain are assessed regularly.