- Occipital neuritis
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Occipital neuritis, also called posttraumatic neck syndrome, is a pain in the back of the neck area.[1]
Contents
Description
The pain is generally caused by trauma in the neck area and/or whiplash of some form. [2] It's not considered an illness on its own, but generally a symptom of a greater illness.[1]
Because of the overall symptom it is, many things can trigger it. For example shingles, injury, infection, and sometimes even syphilis.[1] Statistically almost everyone will have experienced this to a varying degree sometime throughout their life. In some cases, it can get even worse (based on the underlying condition), to the point that the afflicted person can no longer function properly, or the overall lifestyle is affected. [1]
Symptoms
Some of the 'Known' symptoms are
- Pain
- Dizzyness
- Blurred Vision
- Tenderness
- Spasms of the neck area
Types
("Tip Douloureus" /* Types */ is misspelled by someone?)
Tic Douloureux (commonly referred to as Trigeminal Neuralgia), but it is not directly associated with Occipital Neuritis, or Occipital Neuralgia. Occipital Neuralgia affects the nerves at the base of the skull, where the nerves leave the spine and travel to the sides of the head, and over the top of the head. (The Occipital nerves are between the scalp and the skull.) Diagnosis can be made through injections at the site of the pain; if a person thought to have Occipital Neuralgia gets relief from an injection, the diagnosis is positive.
With Trigeminal Neuralgia, the fifth cranial nerve is affected (this nerve is inside the skull, and is part of the brain.) The Trigeminal Nerve is one main nerve, a ganglian with three sections, branching out into the facial areas, (one near the eye area and brow, one in the general vicinity of the cheek and into the side of the nose and lips, and one into the lower jaw and chin area.) It is believed that the trigeminal nerve is irritated through contact with a small artery within the brain. This IS one of the most painful afflictions known to man at this time. Diagnosis is made by symptoms relayed by the patient to their physician, and through a process of elimination of other facial disorders. There are currently several surgical procedures that can be done to try to relieve the pain of Trigeminal Neuralgia, but none of them are guaranteed to cure this painful disorder.
Treatments
The primary treatment of occipital neuritis is treating what is initially causing the problem, which in term will generally eliminate the pain itself. [1] Alternate things can be performed as well, for example surgery, various types of pain medication, and other forms of treatment. [1]
One treatment for Occipital Neuralgia is injections at the site of pain. Here the disease has progressed into the optic nerve, and has different symptoms; than that of Occipital Neuralgia. Occipital Neuritis affects the optic nerve; there can be vision loss, blurriness, pain in the eye itself. Occipital Neuralgia affects the nerves in between the skull and scalp. It can be very painful, and may require treatment, and injections to the area of pain.References
- ^ a b c d e f g "Neuralgia explained". Better Health Channel Victoria. june 2006. http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Neuralgia_explained?open. Retrieved 2007-10-21.
- ^ a b "posttraumatic neck syndrome". Stedman's Electronic Medical Dictionary. Stedman’s. http://www.drugs.com/dict/posttraumatic-neck-syndrome.html. Retrieved 2007-11-21. "a syndrome of neck pain, tenderness, and spasm, often associated with ill-defined symptoms (dizziness, blurred vision), resulting from neck trauma, most often of the whiplash variety.Synonym(s): cervical fibrositis, cervical tension syndrome"
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