Why do I always have pain in the back of my head?

Many people feel severe pain in the back of their head when they wake up the next day. Pain in the back of the head is usually caused by stiff neck, cervical spondylosis, and tension headache. Pain in the back of the head often makes people lose the energy to do things. So what are the other causes of pain in the back of the head? We can only treat the disease after we find the cause. Let’s take a look at what causes pain in the back of the head.

What causes pain in the back of the head?

1. Occipital neuralgia

The occipital nerve is the general name for the greater occipital nerve, the lesser occipital nerve, and the greater auricular nerve, all of which are composed of the posterior roots of the cervical 1 to 3 spinal nerves. It may be caused by infection, local irritation or local muscle stretch. Occipital neuralgia is characterized by pain that radiates from the back of the neck and occipital region to the top of the head, often with a lightning-like, knife-like, piercing pain.

2. Cervical spondylosis headache

The most common areas of headache are the back of the neck and the occipital area. Experts say that more than 10% of patients with cervical spondylosis experience severe headaches, and some also experience pain in the back of the head. It is caused by hyperplastic cervical spondylitis or bone spurs compressing and irritating the cervical nerve roots, and bone hyperplasia may be seen in cervical spine films.

3. Muscle contraction headache

Also known as tension headache, it is often caused by work stress, fatigue, writing, reading, long-term computer work, incorrect posture and other factors, which cause continuous contraction of the head, face or neck muscles, cerebral blood vessels spasm, and produce headache. Pain in the occipital area is also the result of spasm of the muscles in the back of the neck.

Experts remind us that tension headaches should be regarded as a signal or warning, reminding ourselves that we need to relax, temporarily put down the work at hand, eliminate fatigue, listen to music, and get a massage to relieve headache symptoms. Patients with mild symptoms in the early stage need to strengthen self-regulation and find opportunities to entertain themselves and relax.

In winter, the weather is relatively cold, so we should pay attention to keeping the neck warm. In addition to wearing a scarf on the neck during the day, you can also apply a hot water bottle to the neck at night. Avoid wearing clothes with too low necklines. This can also relieve neck fatigue. The editor reminds office workers who work at a desk on weekdays to take a break every half an hour to move their necks around.