Occipital Neuralgia is a painful condition that gives you intense pain that is hard to bear. The worst part is that people often need to understand this condition with common headaches and go to a doctor initially when their medicines stop working and they fail to manage the frequently occurring headaches. So, in that case, people have a lot of questions regarding this condition and among them, one is Does occipital neuralgia go away by making a few changes in your lifestyle?
Well, it can be a Yes for some people but there is no guarantee. The headache may go on for some time but it is going to come back which means either you have to make a considerable change in your lifestyle that helps you manage the headaches or you need to see a doctor and start the treatment along with the lifestyle changes. Then, you can expect a positive outcome and feel free from this condition. There is no magic wand that is going to treat Occipital Neuralgia except for a good doctor who is experienced with such cases and has a good record.
Lifestyle Changes That May Support You in Managing Occipital Neuralgia
If you have a bad lifestyle, no dietary schedule, and a very hectic work life, then it’s time that you count on changing it because your body is what you feed it. If you follow an unhealthy lifestyle, your body is going to pay for it, and to avoid this, read the below points and accept the change.
1. Improve Your Posture
The first change that you must adapt to is to improvise your body posture. You may have seen people experiencing uneasiness when they do not sleep in a good posture or keep sitting for hours working on their laptops which strains their neck areas and upper back. Such people always complain of frequent headaches and assume that it’s because their eyes are stressed or their minds are tense, but in reality, they have nerve irritation which is causing all the trouble. So, it’s important to improve the body posture, give support to your neck and upper back, and take breaks when you are working continuously for hours.
2. Handle all that Stress
Stress is the major reason behind several chronic health issues. And if we talk about Occipital Neuralgia, stress contributes to increasing pain and that is the reason why experts suggest that you try some meditation, breathing exercises, and yoga. Well, we cannot say that it will give you complete relief, but at this moment, you can have some relief from the head trauma caused by this issue.
3. Cold & Heat Therapy
Do you know about heat and cold therapy? If you ask about cold therapy, you have to use ice packs that help reduce the swelling and numb the area. In hot therapy, you can take the hot water bottles that promote the flow of blood and help in relieving the muscles. So, that is why the top medical professionals suggest trying hot and cold therapy to relax and loosen the muscles.
4. Get Adequate Sleep & Support to Your Neck
Sleep is important but at the same time, you need a good pillow that can help you manage a good posture while you lay on the bed. You have to find a comfortable pillow that will act as a support to your head and neck avoiding all that strain and unwanted compression on the nerves internally. Also, you have to sleep for 6-8 hours at a stretch. This will calm down your mind, relieve stress, and avoid any anxiety or panic issues.
Are these changes enough to treat Occipital Neuralgia?
As explained above, these lifestyle changes can help you say goodbye to Occipital Neuralgia, but not forever. There are chances that it will come back especially if there is some underlying reason that you do not know. So, working only on lifestyle changes is not going to solve this equation. You have to act smart and find a doctor or a migraine surgeon who is going to help you manage the pain caused by this problem and suggest proper treatment to put a stop to the frequent headaches.
Wrapping Up
So, in the end, we must say that Occipital Neuralgia is treatable but you cannot just rely on some home remedies or hit-and-trail methods to sort out this medical problem. The first thing is that you have to stay positive, accept the changes that are mentioned here, and try to maintain a healthy body. Then only you can expect things to work in your favor.
And not to forget the most important thing, finding the right doctor who can treat you. You cannot go to a general physician to treat you for Occipital Neuralgia. He/she can give you medicines for subsiding the pain but to treat it, you need a good surgeon who handles such cases and has a good record. You can try consulting the doctors and surgeons at Migraine Surgery Speciality Center. They have people who are always ready to help the patients save themselves from frequent headaches.
