How To Treat Occipital Neuralgia

Microvascular Decompression

Microvascular decompression is a complex surgical procedure with the purpose of alleviating compression of the occipital nerve, which is one possible cause of occipital neuralgia. In this operation, a surgeon opens the patient’s skull at the back of the neck. The nerve is separated away from the blood vessel, connective tissue, or muscle that may be constricting or compressing the nerve. In some cases, the surgeon may place a tiny sponge between the occipital nerve and the blood vessel. This sponge essentially cushions the occipital nerve from the compression that triggers pain. Although this is a serious surgery and may not be possible for all patients, microvascular decompression works to significantly alleviate occipital nerve pain in most cases.

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Pulsed Radiofrequency

Pulsed radiofrequency treatment is a treatment used for multiple chronic pain syndromes, including recurrent occipital neuralgia. This is considered a non-ablative treatment that can be used as an alternative to continuous radiofrequency ablation. Instead of using continuous radiofrequency currents, pulsed radiofrequency therapy uses short current burst, and there's not enough heat to cause tissue coagulation. The treatment leads to an interruption of the pain signals the nerves send, keeping them from reaching the brain. However, unlike continuous radiofrequency treatment, this therapy doesn't cause permanent damage to the nerve fibers because the temperature doesn't rise higher than forty-two degrees Celsius. By comparison, continuous therapy can cause the fibers to reach temperatures of eighty degrees Celsius.

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