Headaches in the nape: causes and treatment

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Headache is one of the most common symptoms that can indicate both normal fatigue and any dangerous disease. Depending on the location and nature of discomfort, you can try to determine their cause. It is worthwhile to consider the main causes and treatment of headaches in the nape, which bother many people.

If there is a headache in the neck, it can be difficult to determine if it is the head or neck that hurts. With a number of diseases of the spine and neck area, pain can be transmitted to the occipital region, which makes it difficult to diagnose a possible disease.

Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the attendant symptoms and consult a doctor to make sure there are no serious pathologies. With headaches, you should contact a neurologist, children and adults.

What does pain in the back of the head mean?

It is worth considering the main causes of occipital headaches. Some of them require urgent help, possibly serious complications. In each case, the accompanying symptoms will be different, it is worth paying attention to them.

1. Various head injuries. Periodic severe headaches in the occipital region can occur after head injuries, bumps, bruises, shocks. At the same time, they can appear not immediately after the injury, sometimes it takes a long time. If the pain develops as a result of a stroke or other damage, they are usually accompanied by nausea, dizziness, the patient may notice that memory and concentration are deteriorating.
2. Migraine. This disease often develops without expressed causes and becomes chronic, the most susceptible to it female. When migraines, headaches are pulsating, usually localized on the right side of the head or with the opposite, on the left. There is a feeling of squeezing, with migraine on the background of painful sensations there is dizziness, increased photosensitivity, irritability.
3. Arterial hypertension. With this cardiovascular disease, painful sensations in the occiput and temples can also arise, and the character is dull with pain. This pathology usually can not be fully treated, it is associated with a constant increase in blood pressure. Also, with increased arterial pressure, pulsation can occur in the occipital part of the head without pain.
4. Fatigue, nervous tension, stress. In severe cases of physical and mental fatigue, there may be slight pain in the nape of the neck, extending to the temples. In this case, single pains do not talk about serious diseases.

Important! For constant pains that occur without expressed reasons, you should consult a doctor and do not self-medicate.

Head and neck pain

With various diseases in the cervical spine, there is a pain syndrome that gives to the occipital region of the head. In this case, the pain usually spreads to the upper back, they are accompanied by a burning sensation and muscle tension. The most common diseases of the spine, causing painful sensations in the nape of the neck, include:

1. Cervical osteochondrosis. This disease is very common, with its development there are degenerative changes in the intervertebral discs leading to a limitation of mobility and severe pain syndrome. When osteochondrosis, the nerve endings in the cervical region are jammed, resulting in permanent headaches accompanied by increased fatigue, noise in the ears and a number of other vegetative symptoms.
2. Spondylosis. Another disease of the spine, which, if originating in the cervical region, provokes the development of a pain syndrome that gives back to the nape of the neck. The normal functioning of the cartilaginous tissue is disrupted, pain usually occurs when the head is turned, sharp movements. This disease usually develops with insufficient level of motor activity.
3. Myogelosis. This disease is characterized by tightening of the neck muscular tissue, it can occur as a result of injuries, strong physical overstrain. With this disease, painful sensations of a noisy character spread to the back area. If you touch the muscles of the neck, you can see that they are tense, compacted.

Important! Pain in the occiput may also occur with various spinal injuries, spinal cord injuries and pinching of nerve endings.

The diagnosis of these diseases requires an examination of the orthopedic surgeon. Usually, an x-ray of the cervical spine is done, sometimes an MRI or CT scan is required, other studies depending on the concomitant symptoms.

Headaches in a child

Painful sensations in different parts of the head in children occur less often than in adults. Usually they appear with a strong emotional and physical fatigue, lack of sleep, other difficulties encountered by students in schools.

If the child has a headache, it is desirable to reduce the load and consult with a doctor, probably the development of vegetative-vascular dystonia, a complex of symptoms that significantly affect the performance of the child. Also, curvatures and other diseases of the spine, often developing in younger and older school years, should be excluded.

During pregnancy

Pregnancy headaches are also common. The organism of the future mother is more subject to stresses, bearing of the child is an additional burden on the locomotor system, cardiovascular and nervous systems. Therefore, the onset of aching pain is quite common. Usually arise against a background of strong fatigue, emotional tension.

However, if the pain is constantly and quite intense in nature, it is advisable to check with a doctor to exclude serious diseases that could threaten the health of the future mother and child.

Treatment at home

If headaches in the nape of the nape occur often, develop against a background of other diseases, they should be treated under the supervision of a doctor. However, it is possible to remove one-on-one seizures of pain caused by fatigue and stress. For this purpose, there are various painkillers, folk remedies and other methods.

First of all, when you have painful feelings, you should rest, drink water, if possible, postpone all important matters. It is also advised to avoid sources of bright light and noise, they can cause deterioration of well-being. To get rid of the pain, you can use the following methods:

1. Medications. With a headache, you can use non-prescription simple analgesics, it is important to take them clearly according to the instructions. From the headache can help drugs based on ibuprofen, especially effective Citramon, Pentalgin, Paracetamol and their analogues.
2. Massage. If the pain in the nape of the neck arose against the background of osteochondrosis, spasm of the neck muscles, recommend self-massage with smooth rubbing movements, point technique.

With enough rest and proper intake of pain medication, painful sensations will quickly disappear.

Treatment with folk remedies

There are several folk remedies that help to get rid of a headache, some of them are effective even with migraine and quite intense pain sensations in the nape of the neck.

For headaches, quality green tea is helped with the addition of dried mint or a couple of drops of peppermint oil. Brew should be quite strong drink, unless further important things are foreseen, tea can be bitten with natural honey. This combination well tones up the body and helps to get rid of unpleasant sensations in the nape of the neck.

Herbal medicines also help. For example, you can mix two tablespoons of hawthorn fruit with one tablespoon of valerian root, add two spoonfuls of Leonurus's herb and two tablespoons bearberry. From a mixture of herbs to prepare a decoction, take one third of the glass three times a day after eating.

Folk remedies are extremely effective, however if, despite all efforts, the headache does not go away, you need to see a doctor immediately.