147 Occipital Neuralgia

Occipital neuralgia is a disorder characterized by lancinating, paroxysmal, electric shock-like pain radiating from the occipital region to the vertex of the head, mainly in the distribution of the greater occipital nerve. As there are several different pain syndromes that can involve this region, a strict definition of occipital neuralgia can help distinguish this disorder from other pain syndromes including migraine and tension headaches, and cervical muscular strain [1‐4]. More attention has been paid to this disorder in recent years, at least in part because of the emergence of occipital nerve stimulation, a minimally invasive and non-destructive treatment [5,6].