Occipital Neuralgia: a noninvasive therapeutic approach

Abstract

Objective:to evaluate the application of a noninvasive intervention consisting of a postural modification using personalized models and osteopathy in people with occipital neuralgia. Method:retrospective study of the intervention performed in adult population with occipital neuralgia, consisting of postural modification using personalized plantar orthoses and osteopathy, in a study period of four years. The observed variables were: persistence of headache, alignment of the axes, plantar support, center of gravity and center of mass; medical interview data, visual analogue scale, Win-Track gait analysis system and Kinovea software for video analysis (clinical assessment instruments used). Results:a total of 34 records of people with occipital neuralgia were studied. A fraction of 58.8% of the patients reported improvement after the intervention. The visual analogue scale data were provided for 64.7% of the records and significant differences (p <0.001) between the means before (8.4 ± 1.7) and after the intervention (2.6 ± 2.7) were found. Conclusion:postural modification using personalized orthoses and osteopathy substantially improves the symptomatology of patients with occipital neuralgia.

Botulinum Toxin Type-A (Botulax®) Treatment in Patients with Intractable Chronic Occipital Neuralgia: A Pilot Study

“…Medical treatment with oral painkillers is usually performed, but if pain persists, invasive treatment options, including dry needling or acupuncture, are used to induce immediate pain relief [ 3 ]. Pain relief can last for about 2 weeks using dry needling or acupuncture [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. In this study, pain relief observed within the first two weeks was similar to the reported effects of dry needling or acupuncture.…”

A Review of the Recent Findings in Minimally Invasive Treatment Options for the Management of Occipital Neuralgia

“…The exact mechanism and pathophysiology is a debated topic. Potential etiologies include but are not limited to: trauma such as fractures, anatomical issues such as nerve compression or pinching, tumors such as neuromas or osteochondromas, infections such as neurosyphilis, vascular causes such as giant cell arteritis or cervical AV fistulas, and musculoskeletal issues such as C1 or C2 arthrosis [2,11].…”

“…Rest, warm or cold compresses, massage and physical therapy are recommended treatments for relieving muscle tension [11]. In a retrospective observational study of 34 patients, the use of personalized insoles to improve postural alignment resulted in significantly decreased pain and other symptoms associated with ON [15]. When these approaches fail to resolve the symptoms, medical management is employed next.…”

“…A subtype of neuralgia is occipital neuralgia, which is neuralgic pain within the dermatomal region of the occipital nerves [1]. Neuralgia is the most common type of neuropathic pain and was described in 1821 by Beruto and Lentijo and Ramos [2]. According to the newest classification based on the International Headache Society Volume 3, this pain can be unilateral or bilateral involving the distribution of either the greater, lesser and/or third occipital nerves.…”

Could a Simple Nerve Block be Considered as a Treatment Option for Occipital Neuralgia with Both Short-Term and Long-Term Effects?

“…However, patients' symptoms are miscellaneous and are not distinctive, leading to misdiagnosis. Therefore, differential diagnosis with other diseases such as infection, tumor, congenital anomalies, cervicogenic headache or other types of headaches is crucial 12,19,20) . Treatment options for ON are very broad and are still under debate.…”