Dr. Scott Reis has either authored or reviewed and approved this content. Page Updated:
Diagnostic Process for Nerve Decompression Surgery
One of the key features of migraines caused by compression of the occipital nerves, the type of migraines Dr. Reis most frequently treats, is unremitting head and neck pain, or UHNP. When these nerves become compressed by the muscles, fascia, connective tissue and vessels of the neck, the result is often constant mild to severe discomfort, pressure, or tightness at the back of the neck. During a migraine, this becomes intense pain that often radiates to the back of the head, the neck, the temples, forehead, and the face and may also be accompanied by nausea and extreme
Trusted Source
Emerging evidence of occipital nerve compression in unremitting head and neck pain
Blake, P., Burstein, R.
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sensitivity to light
(photophobia). These occipital neuralgia events often progress and cause secondary facial trigeminal migraine symptoms as well.
The struggle for neurologists and specialists such as Dr. Reis when diagnosing this specific type of migraine is linking the patient’s near-constant and severe discomfort to anatomic compression of the occipital nerves, as head and neck pain can be attributed to so many sources. There are a
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The Current Means for Detection of Migraine Headache Trigger Sites
Guyuron B, Nahabet E, Khansa I, Reed D, Janis JE
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number of tests
that may help Dr. Reis and his colleagues eliminate other potential migraine causes and pinpoint occipital nerve compression as the trigger point for a patient’s UHNP: