Can looking at your phone cause occipital neuralgia?
Your smart phone could be seriously damaging your health. If you’re experiencing headaches, an extremely tender scalp, pain behind one eye, how you use your devices could be to blame. Experts tell Newsbeat they are seeing cases of “text neck.”
Why do I keep getting occipital headaches?
What causes occipital neuralgia? Occipital neuralgia may occur spontaneously, or as the result of a pinched nerve root in the neck (from arthritis, for example), or because of prior injury or surgery to the scalp or skull. Sometimes “tight” muscles at the back of the head can entrap the nerves.
How do you get rid of occipital nerve headaches?
You can try to:
- Apply heat to your neck.
- Rest in a quiet room.
- Massage tight and painful neck muscles.
- Take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs, like naproxen or ibuprofen.
How does occipital nerve stimulation work?
The occipital nerve originates at the base of the neck. In occipital nerve stimulation, your doctor implants a small device at the base of the skull with leads connected to a power source (pulse generator) that sends electrical impulses to the occipital nerve.
What aggravates occipital neuralgia?
If your occipital nerves are already inflamed or irritated, touching the back of your head or neck may trigger occipital neuralgia. Even brushing your hair or bumping your head against a headrest may trigger it.
What can mimic occipital neuralgia?
Tension-type headache, which is much more common, occasionally mimics the pain of occipital neuralgia.
What does an occipital headache feel like?
Occipital neuralgia is a distinct type of headache characterized by piercing, throbbing, or electric-shock-like chronic pain in the upper neck, back of the head, and behind the ears, usually on one side of the head. Typically, the pain of occipital neuralgia begins in the neck and then spreads upwards.
What mimics occipital neuralgia?
What does a Covid headache feels like?
Researchers have discovered that some of the prominent features of a COVID-19 headache include: Having a pulsing, pressing, or stabbing sensation. Occurring bilaterally (across the whole head) Presenting with severe pressure that won’t respond to typical pain relievers, like ibuprofen and acetaminophen.