Surgical options include occipital release surgery. In this outpatient procedure, your doctor makes an incision in the back of the neck to expose your occipital nerves and release them from the surrounding connective tissue and muscles that may be compressing them.

The greater occipital nerve is a cutaneous nerve, the thickest in the body, that innervates the skin from the upper neck, over the occiput, up to the vertex of the scalp 1-3.

The greater auricular nerve provides sensory innervation to the earlobe and the angle of the mandible. Injury results in paresthesia in the region of innervation. The transverse cervical nerve provides sensory innervation in the region of the anterior cervical triangle.

Great Auricular Neuralgia. Description: A disorder characterized by unilateral brief stabbing pain, abrupt in onset and termination, in the distribution of the great auricular nerve (preauricular, parotid and jaw angle and/or posteroinferior pinna and mastoid).

Because of the inflammatory process associated with occipital neuralgia, anti-inflammatory nutrients can be beneficial for patients who suffer from this type of headache. Calcium/magnesium supplements are most commonly used for their overall anti-inflammatory properties.

The lateral section of the posterior scalp is supplied by the lesser occipital and great auricular nerves, branches of the cervical plexus (see Fig. 72-5).

Branches and supply

• a small lateral branch of the posterior branch pierces the auricle to supply the lobule and concha.
• the posterior branch of the greater auricular nerve communicates with the lesser occipital nerve, auricular branch of the facial nerve and posterior auricular branch of the facial nerve.

“Greater attention to diet, and in particular, B vitamins may help relieve occipital neuralgia by boosting the body’s ability to heal itself. Vitamin B12 aids normal nervous system development and nerve regeneration so some patients take a B12 supplement.