Pain in the back of the head causes a lot of inconvenience and often limits performance. The reasons for this phenomenon can be very different - from a long stay in an uncomfortable position to serious neurological pathologies. It is quite difficult to figure out on your own why the head hurts in the back of the head. You will most likely need to seek medical attention.
Types of pain in the occipital region
The following types of pain are possible in the back of the head:
- Tension - the most common daily and chronic, associated with muscle contraction.
- Migraines - exact causes unknown, often hereditary, lasting from a few hours to three days.
- Mixed - a combination of migraine and tension pain.
- Cluster - the heaviest, burning and stabbing. Rare.
- Sinus - occur with inflammation of the sinuses.
- Spicy - appearsuddenly, often during respiratory illnesses.
- Hormonal - mainly women suffer, and they are associated with changes in hormone levels.
- Chronic - considered to be the result of a brain disease or abnormality.
The nature of pain in various diseases
Pain in the back of the head manifests itself in different ways and is a symptom of one of the following diseases:
- Spondylosis. Bone growths form in the cervical spine. There is pain in the back of the head on the left or right side, the attacks are protracted and debilitating.
- Cervical osteochondrosis. Why does the neck and back of the head hurt? There are structural changes in the discs between the vertebrae. Pathology is accompanied by a headache on the right side of the occiput, which captures the entire back of the head, neck and temporal region. With sudden movements of the head, a complete loss of coordination of movement is possible.
- Myositis. Occurs with hypothermia and an uncomfortable position of the cervical region. Occipital headache radiates to shoulder blades, shoulders and temples. It is characterized by asymmetry.
- Myogelosis. Why does the back of my head always hurt? There is a thickening of the cervical muscle tissue, which is accompanied by throbbing pain in the back of the head.
- Hypertension. High blood pressure causes constant headaches in the back of the head and temples. This causes dizziness, increased heart rate and nausea.
- Neuralgia of the occipital nerve. The disease is characterized by shooting painson the left or right side of the back of the head, which depend on the movement of the head.
- Intracranial pressure. There are girdle headaches with localization in the back of the head, dizziness, vomiting, photophobia, tearing.
Why does my head hurt in the back of my head?
The causes depend on the type of pain and appear with the development of pathology in the occipital region of the brain and neck, where blood vessels, cranial and spinal nerves and muscles are located. Unpleasant sensations in the back of the head occur due to:
- craniocerebral injury, damage to the soft and bone tissues of the head;
- changes in climatic and weather conditions;
- constant and severe stress conditions;
- mental disorders;
- fluctuations in blood pressure;
- inflammatory process in the occipital nerve;
- malignant or benign neoplasms;
- acute cerebrovascular accident;
- taking or not taking medicines;
- infectious diseases;
- anomalies of the vessels of the brain and neck;
- vascular atherosclerosis;
- inflammation of the muscles of the neck.
To identify and eliminate the cause of a headache, a person should seek the help of medical professionals.
Diagnostic measures
It is very important for a doctor to figure out why the head in the back of the head hurts in the patient who turned to him. To identify the cause that caused the patient's complaints, the physician conducts a conversation with him, during which the nature of the pain and intensity, the placelocalization, duration and response to pain medication. He then recommends the following examinations to help make an accurate diagnosis:
- Laboratory studies - general and biochemical analysis of blood and urine to detect inflammatory, autoimmune and metabolic processes.
- MRI - used to detect cerebrovascular accidents that occurred after a stroke, tumors, pathologies in the cervical region.
- EEG - helps to detect deviations from the normal functioning of the brain, vascular lesions, the presence of hematomas and tumors.
- CT - shows the presence of tumors, cysts, blood clots, structural changes in brain tissue.
- X-ray - allows you to identify the consequences of injuries, sinusitis, dropsy of the brain.
- Ultrasound - helps to detect problems with blood vessels, aneurysms, blood flow disorders.
- EMG - used to study the neuromuscular connection of the brain with muscles.
All these activities will help to identify why the head hurts in the back of the head, and prescribe the right course of therapy that will save the patient from the troubles that have arisen.
Temporal and occipital pains
The main causes of pain in the back of the head and temples are negative changes in the functioning of the vascular system. When a spasm occurs, the vessels contract and certain parts of the brain remain without nutrition, and when they relax, on the contrary, a significant release of blood occurs. Vascular tone is controlled by the autonomic nervous system, so throbbing painindicate violations in its work. Why does the back of the head and temples hurt? These can be symptoms of various diseases. They are conventionally divided into the following groups:
- Neurological - stressful situations, migraine, inflammatory processes in the occipital nerve, neuroses.
- Vascular – high blood pressure, vegetative dystonia, intracranial hypertension.
- Diseases of the cervical spine - myositis, osteochondrosis, spondylosis, myogelosis, cervical migraine, professional tension pains.
In addition, such pain occurs in certain infectious diseases and tumor processes in the brain. And also contribute to this:
- bad habits - smoking and alcohol;
- sleep on a hard pillow;
- excitement of a psycho-emotional nature;
- Regular consumption of caffeinated beverages and abrupt refusal of them.
Why does the back of the head and whiskey hurt? This is always the response of the individual's body to the wrong way of life or the malfunctions that have arisen in the body. Immediate medical attention is required for:
- increasing pain with increasing load;
- lasting hours or days of pain;
- discomfort in the morning, before getting out of bed;
- tinnitus, nausea, vomiting, incoordination.
Important! If, with throbbing pain, blood pressure rises sharply, urgent medical attention is needed due to the highlikelihood of a hypertensive crisis.
Unilateral headache
One-time pain in the back of the head is not a cause for concern, but with a severe syndrome, aches and dizziness, there is a reason to consult a doctor. Why does the right side of the back of the head hurt? This may be a sign of pathologies:
- brain;
- upper spine;
- nerve roots.
Unpleasant sensations also arise due to hypothermia or being in a draft. Particular attention should be paid to right-sided throbbing pains that recur periodically and cause a feeling of numbness in the back. At the same time, some patients develop tinnitus, hearing impairment, and maybe even impaired coordination of movements. In this case, an examination is necessary to confirm or refute such a diagnosis as "osteochondrosis of the cervical spine." If suspicions are confirmed, complex therapy will be required to eliminate discomfort.
One of the reasons why the right side of the back of the head hurts is considered to be a failure of cerebral circulation, which occurs during a stroke. It all starts with the appearance of pain in the head, noise, dizziness, fatigue and weakness. The reason is chronic cerebrovascular insufficiency, which is caused by arterial hypertension and atherosclerosis.
At the same time, the walls of the vessels are compacted, narrowing and tortuosity are possible, or plaques are formed. In some cases, the gaps in the vessels are completelyoverlap, which disrupts the nutrition of the brain. The disease progresses all the time. In this case, medical assistance is necessary, self-medication is unacceptable.
Sometimes the patient complains, on the contrary, of left-sided discomfort. Why does the left side of the back of the head hurt? This may be a sign of neuralgia. Pain syndrome appears as a result of compression of the roots of the occipital nerve. The cause is often a neck and back injury, a cold, cervical osteochondrosis, muscle strain, infection. In addition to pain, there is nausea, vomiting when moving the head. The problem area loses sensitivity over time.
Dizziness and neck pain
The main causes of dizziness and tightness in the back of the head are:
- physical and mental strain;
- constant depression and stressful situations;
- pathology of the cervical spine;
- hypertension or hypotension;
- vegetovascular dystonia and jumps in intracranial pressure;
- head injuries and bruises around the neck;
- osteochondrosis of the cervical region.
As you can see, there are many reasons why the back of the head hurts and the head is spinning. What to do in such cases before visiting a doctor:
- Ventilate the room well, unbutton the top button of the clothes.
- Lie down and relax.
- Massage the back of the head and neck.
- Calm down, drink a tincture of valerian or motherwort.
- Measure blood pressure. At high, take drugs to reduce it, at low– drink coffee or a little cognac, tincture of lemongrass, ginseng or eleutherococcus.
Pain in the back of the head and dizziness can be signs of many ailments, including serious ones. Therefore, after an attack, you should consult a doctor. Self-treatment is not recommended.
Conservative treatment
To reveal why the head hurts in the back of the head on the right side or, conversely, on the left, only a doctor can. Most often, this is done by a neurologist, but you can turn to another specialist, such as a therapist. The main methods used in the treatment of headaches:
- Medications – the patient is prescribed anti-inflammatory, painkillers and hormonal medications depending on the diagnosis.
- Massage - used in complex treatment, often prescribed for pain in the back of the head after injury and chronic migraines.
- Manual therapy - allows you to eliminate the cause without drug treatment and surgical intervention, it is used both for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. And when prescribing drugs, it enhances their effect. Before the sessions, the doctor will explain in detail why the head hurts in the back of the head and answer your questions.
- Acupuncture - sometimes prescribed simultaneously with manual therapy. Short-term exposure to acupuncture stimulates the organs, improving blood circulation and activating the immune system.
- Osteopathy - the causes of headaches are eliminated as a result ofimproving the functioning of muscles, joints and organs.
- Physiotherapy - ultrasound, direct and alternating current, as well as a magnetic field have a beneficial effect on the body, helping to eliminate headaches.
- Extracorporeal hemocorrection is a blood purification procedure. It is prescribed when the exact cause is identified (why the back of the head hurts on the right side or on the left, we have already discussed), indicating an atherosclerotic lesion of the cerebral vessels. Substances that contribute to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques are removed from the individual's blood.
- Dysport injections - indicated for pain caused by tension and migraines. The drug is injected into the muscles to reduce spasm and relieve tension.
- Therapeutic exercise - properly selected exercises and systematic exercises help to cope with pain in the occipital region of the head.
In addition, folk remedies are also used in the treatment of headaches, which can complement the above methods of treatment.
Prevention measures
Headaches by origin are divided into primary and secondary. For their prevention, it is necessary to exclude the factors that provoke their appearance. Recommended for this:
- Stay outdoors daily and exercise moderately.
- Observe daily routine.
- Include foods containing vitamins and minerals in the diet, eat more vegetables and fruits, nuts. Avoid spicy food.
- Eat at the same time three to six times in small portions.
- Try to avoid stressful situations, fatigue, tension.
- Adequate sleep 7-8 hours a day.
- Sleep on a comfortable orthopedic pillow and the same mattress.
- Do neck exercises regularly.
- Do not abuse bad habits: smoking and alcohol.
- Take vitamin complexes several times a year.
All these simple activities will help to avoid occipital headaches.
Instead of a conclusion
Pains appear in any part of the head and are pulsating, shooting, dull, pressing, bursting. At the same time, they appear suddenly and quickly pass or last for a long time. Why does the head hurt in the back of the head? There are many reasons, as you can see. It is impossible for an individual without an appropriate medical education to establish an accurate diagnosis, so you should not waste time on this and take medication yourself. The best option in this case is to consult a doctor, undergo an examination and a course of therapy prescribed by a specialist. Stay he althy!
