Summary

‘Occipital Neuralgia is a condition in which the occipital nerves, the nerves that run through the scalp, are injured or inflamed. This causes headaches that feel like severe piercing, throbbing or shock-like pain in the neck, back of the head and behind the ears.’[1] Occipital Neuralgia can be caused by trauma or compression to the occipital nerves, muscle tightness, or prior injury to the scalp or skull. It ‘can also be caused by underlying health conditions, such as arthritis, gout, and infection or inflammation.’[2] I am trying to find out whether peripheral damage or inflammation to my occipital nerves or blood vessels could be causing my head pain. This post asks whether my left-sided head pain, could be Occipital Neuralgia.

Symptoms

Symptoms of Occipital Neuralgia include a sharp, shooting, throbbing or burning pain in your scalp, neck, and behind your ear. ‘Pain that radiates to one side of your head, pain behind your eye, and sensitivity of your scalp,’[3] are also symptoms of Occipital Neuralgia. My symptoms have been getting progressively more severe. They include a piercing, throbbing pain behind my left ear, and it feels like someone is screwing a corkscrew into the top of my head. It also feels like there is a sheet of mist under my skin. This fog like feeling is all the way around the left side of my head. The pain is debilitating and unrelenting.

As previously explained, I also have persistent pain around and behind my left eye. From the bone behind my left ear, all the way up to the top of my skull, I experience an incessant burning pain. The region at the top of my head is the most painful. The pulsating pain there is acute. I am concerned.

Infection and Inflammation

Infection and inflammation are one of the secondary, underlying causes of Occipital Neuralgia. I have repeatedly indicated, that whilst medics have not identified an aetiology, infection and inflammation remain the two most likely causes of my condition. This raises the question, as to whether my occipital nerves could be inflamed or damaged, as a result of 11-yrs of chronic infection and inflammation in my fascial spaces. Could my head pain be related to inflamed nerves and blood vessels? Could Occipital Neuralgia be causing my left-sided head pain?

Conclusion

I have raised the issue of my left-sided head pain with many Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) consultants. None of them have given me any answers or help. The oral antibiotics that I take, do quell my head pain, particularly Doxycycline, but they only give me temporary relief. I am seeking the help and advice of either a skull-based otolaryngologist or a neuro-surgeon, who can identify what is causing my head pain, and help to relieve it.

I have previously asked whether my left-sided head pain could be related to my mastoid, or to an enlarged temporal bone. The last ENT consultant, who I saw in 2022, mentioned both of these as possible causes of my head pain. I’ve also asked if the pain in my left temple area could be Temporal Arteritis. However, in the absence of any answers, my questions continue. Could inflamed occipital nerves and blood vessels be the cause of my left-sided head pain? Is Occipital Neuralgia the cause? If it is, how can medics treat this?

My Contact Details

If you think you can help, please get in touch. I would love to hear from you. You can contact me via the contact form on my website or directly by email; info@myfacialpain.com. You can also find me on X @myfacialpain.

Foot Notes

[1] Pilitsis J G, MD et al; Occipital Neuralgia, The American Association of Neurological Surgeons.

[2] Catanese L; Occipital Neuralgia: Symptoms and Treatments, Harvard Health Publishing, Harvard Medical School, March, 2024.

[3] Meyler Z; Occipital Neuralgia: What it is and How To Treat It, www.spine-health.com

Photo Credits; Imo Wegmann, Ira Pavlyukovich and The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash. Vie Studio on Pexels.