Pain in the occipital part of the head can occur for various reasons, and most of them have serious consequences. Many people believe that it is enough to drink a painkiller pill and forget about the pain for a while, but this does not solve the problem. Over time, addiction to the drug occurs, and after several such tricks, it no longer helps. Pain can not only cause a lot of trouble, but also indicate a serious pathology.
Causes of Headaches
A sharp pain in the occipital part of the head never occurs for no reason, it is often associated with impaired vascular system or problems with the spine. It is important to pay attention to exactly where the pain occurred, because it also affects the features of the phenomenon.
When pain rarely occurs, this may indicate that the person has been in an uncomfortable position for a long time or has experienced stress. Such pains are the most harmless, but in all other cases they need to be paid attention to.
Cervical osteochondrosis
When a person is diagnosed with cervical osteochondrosis, dull pain in the occipital part of the head is the main symptom. The fact is that this disease is characterized by destruction of the intervertebral discs in the cervical region. Pain, as a rule, appears constantly and can cover not only the back of the head, but also give it to the temples and forehead. At the slightest tilt of the head, a person can feel how the pain begins to increase.
If cervical osteochondrosis has a neglected form, then additionally a person may feel tinnitus, hearing loss, and sometimes vomiting is opened. The patient may complain of blurred vision and double vision, and if he sharply throws his head back, then dizziness appears. Such pains in the occipital part of the head are commonly called cervical migraines.
Cervical spondylosis
Cervical spondylosis is a serious disease that is accompanied by a degeneration of the connective tissue of the vertebral ligaments, it begins to become coarse. As a result of such pathological changes, bone growths appear that impede the movement of the neck. Such pain very quickly from the back of the head spreads to the eyes, temples and ears. After a while, a person can feel pain even at rest, and it becomes constant.
Additional symptoms will be sleep disturbances and a desire to more often change their working position. At risk are more elderly people, but recently, young people who have to spend a lot of time at the computer are suffering.
Hypertonic disease
The fact that a person may develop a disease such as high blood pressure can indicate persistent severe pain in the occipital part of the head. With a hypertensive attack, the pain becomes bursting and throbbing. It intensifies if a person tilts his head. Sudden vomiting may occur, general weakness observed. Most often, the peak of severe pain is observed the next morning, when a person just wakes up. In this case, it is recommended to take antihypertensive drugs as soon as possible. When the pressure rises, the heart begins to beat much stronger, and the patient is recommended to be at rest until the hypertensive crisis passes. The right decision would be to call a doctor.
Cervical myositis and myogelosis
Many people complain of pain in the occipital part of the head on the left with cervical myositis. The fact is that the cause of this disease is inflammation of the muscles of the neck. Naturally, such pains are temporary in nature, this happens due to hypothermia, injury or even an uncomfortable position. The pain begins to feel when moving the neck, it is especially difficult to turn it to the left side. In addition to the head, pain covers the interscapular and shoulder regions.
Myogelosis is another similar disease with the same symptoms. a disease occurs due to circulatory disorders in the vertebrae, which eventually provokes seals in the cervical region.
Nerve neuralgia in the back of the head
When pain occurs in the occipital part of the head, the causes may be hidden in the inflammatory process of the occipital nerve. Severe hypothermia can cause neuralgia of various types. The pain can be severe, shooting, and even burning. In addition to the fact that it covers the entire back of the head, this unpleasant symptom can gradually be felt in the area of the jaw and ears.
At the slightest change in the position of the head in a person, a cough is observed and the pain syndrome intensifies. The pain rises with attacks, but each time they can manifest themselves more often and become stronger. If neuralgia is not treated, then over time, excessive sensitivity of the skin in the neck will develop.
Vascular disorders
If spasms of arteries occur, then instantly throbbing pains occur in the occipital part of the head. At this time, a person feels a general weakness with each movement. The patient’s right decision is to lie down and try to move as little as possible until the pain finally subsides. Its main reason is the delayed outflow of venous blood. The symptom begins in the back of the head and can gradually go to the entire area of the head. The pain intensifies if a person begins to cough or tilt his head forward. It is possible to recognize vascular disorders not only by pain, a person should pay attention that for a long time the eyelids will swell in the morning.
Physical pain
Not only adults, but also children can suffer from headaches. Experts say that pain in the occipital part of the head in a child can occur with excessive activity, due to overexcitation or with great physical exertion. The cause of the pathology is hidden in fragile vessels and their narrow lumen. In adults, pain occurs with heavy physical labor, when exercises are performed with a greater load than the human body can withstand. In the back of the head, the patient may feel heaviness, tingling, and goose bumps begin to run all over the scalp. The only treatment in this case will be to ensure that the child is not overexcited, and for adults it is necessary to reduce physical activity to an acceptable level.
Other causes of headaches
If there is pain in the back of the head, the causes may be as follows:
- Sometimes people can experience sharp and fleeting pain during intercourse. This is due to the fact that the peak of pleasure is accompanied in parallel with an increase in pressure. But this is typical for people who suffer from vegetative-vascular dystonia.
- There is such a thing as professional pain, they are a consequence of labor activity, when the neck muscles are constantly tense. People of different professions, for example, seamstresses, jewelers and programmers, can suffer from the disease.Rubbing the nape or massage will help reduce negative feelings.
- Disruption of the bite can provoke pain. The symptom occurs not only in the back of the head, but also spreads to different areas of the entire head. Such pain in the occipital part of the head is constant. It begins in the morning and intensifies towards evening.
- Severe pain can occur due to stress. Such conditions are characteristic of women, they can last a certain period, and normalize when the psychological background returns to normal.
In any case, to make sure that there is no reason for unrest, you need to seek help from a doctor who will prescribe a diagnosis and, based on the results, will select the treatment.
What to do with severe pain in the back of the head?
Treatment of pain in the occipital part of the head should be started after the exact cause of its occurrence has been established. With frequent symptoms, you should immediately go to the therapist, who will conduct the initial diagnosis and send the patient to a narrower specialist. The diagnosis of "arterial hypertension" should be especially careful, most often in such cases the patient needs immediate hospitalization.
When pain is not associated with pathology, then it is quite possible to use the following procedures:
- A great way that will come to the rescue is physiotherapy. It is important to relax the muscles of the neck and ligaments, this will improve the movement of blood through the veins and blood vessels. An experienced doctor can easily develop an effective set of exercises.
- You can contact a qualified massage therapist who will massage a specific muscle group and relieve pain in a few sessions. But before agreeing to a massage, it is necessary to consult a doctor, as in some cases this type of exposure to the human body is strictly prohibited.
- Recently, an acupuncture method has been considered effective. This method of treating pain in the back of the head will help with neuralgia. The fact is that with the help of a point effect on certain zones, it is possible to achieve full recovery.
- Physiotherapeutic treatment is carried out using the influence of ultrasound and electrophoresis.
What kind of method to choose, the doctor can tell, since not everyone is suitable for different types of pain in the back of the head.
Drug treatment
At home, you can perform the following manipulations:
- First of all, it is recommended that the patient measure the pressure, since most often pain in the occipital part of the head occurs due to an increase in its performance.
- The patient needs to ensure peace and lay with his head slightly raised in bed.
- The room where the person is lying should be provided with free access to fresh air.
- To calm the pain, it is recommended to take drugs such as Adelfan, Enap or Baralgin.
- If the pressure measuring device shows that it is elevated, then a hot water heater is placed under the feet of the sick person, and ice is applied to the back of the head.
- As an additional relief, you can make a light massage of the occipital area.
For chronic pain, you should consult a doctor who will select the right treatment and help you recover quickly.
Alternative methods of treatment
Traditional medicine can be effective only if severe pain in the occipital part of the head is associated with stress or fatigue. The following methods are considered the most effective:
- Mint tea brewing. It should not be weak, just put a tablespoon of mint on one cup. If you drink 1/2 liter of such a drink every half hour, you will be able to quickly get rid of unpleasant symptoms.
- Half a cup of blackcurrant juice every day for a month will help return a person to a normal lifestyle.
- Propolis is effective. It is enough to take 20 grams and grate, then pour alcohol. Insist a day, and then every night before bedtime, drink forty drops of the resulting composition.
- It is believed that copper coins can help relieve pain. It is enough to attach them to the sore spot for twenty minutes, and the pain will go away on its own.
Not a single folk remedy can become the main method of treatment, therefore, without the help of a qualified doctor, it is unlikely to be cured.
Prevention
In order to never encounter such unpleasant symptoms as pain in the back of the head, you should normalize your rest and wakefulness. The human body must have a rest, and a healthy lifestyle will help get rid of many problems. Proper nutrition, taking into account all the necessary vitamins, helps to strengthen blood vessels. And if a person constantly has to be in a sitting position for the duration of his work, it is necessary to develop a set of exercises and do them every three hours.
It is important to remember that self-medication and continuous administration of pain medications without a doctor's prescription can lead to an aggravation of the general condition, and the disease will go into a more serious stage. If you violate such simple rules, then there is a risk of being in the hospital, because in especially difficult cases, immediate hospitalization of a sick person is required.
Timely contacting a qualified specialist will help to get rid of many problems, accelerate relief and complete recovery. It is worth noting that some diseases that cause pain in the back of the head are not treated, but due to the constant use of medications, negative symptoms can be avoided, and pains become a rare occurrence.