Occipital Neuralgia Treated With Acupuncture: A Case Report

Glob Adv Health Med. 2019 Nov 20:8:2164956119890546. doi: 10.1177/2164956119890546. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

We present a case report of a patient whose occipital neuralgia symptoms were substantially improved after a single acupuncture treatment with complete resolution after only a short course of care. The patient, a 78-year-old woman, presented to our institution's neurology department with symptoms of posterior neck pain and electrical sensations in her head which had been present for more than 1 year. With a desire to avoid pharmacologic intervention or invasive procedures, the patient requested acupuncture treatment. The patient received 5 acupuncture treatments over the course of 8 days with substantial resolution of her head pain after a single treatment. This case is suggestive that acupuncture may be a beneficial treatment for patients with occipital neuralgia.

Keywords: acupuncture; integrative medicine; occipital neuralgia; pain.

Publication types

  • Case Reports