My Occipital Nueralgia Journey
3 Years ago I was a healthy Airman. Prior to that, I was a volunteer Fireman for 5 years. I could run, swim, lift, and do whatever I wanted with little pain or worry. Then the ON symptoms started. Intense migraines, intense muscle tension, I felt completely miserable. I was discharged from the USAF shortly thereafter and began my journey of trying to figure out what was wrong with me.
I Tried:
Trigger Point injections ---> Doctor Caused a tension pnuemo and sent me to the Hospital
Initial Physical therapy ---> No change after 8 months, intense muscles spasms
Medications ----> Any that you could think of, anti anxiety, muscle relaxers, anti nerve pain etc etc. Only mildly helped me manage my symptoms.
Accupuncture ----> muscle spasms were so intense I bent the acupuncture needles
Massages ----> muscle spasms were still intense and it only offered temporary relief
Chiropracter ----> No change at all, actually made my pain worse, both Nueropathic and muscle spasms
EMS ----> only mildly released muscles for a moment, then pain and brain fog came back
C1-C2 Injections ----> completely alleviated symptoms temporarily, but pain and brain fog came back very quickly
Upper Cervical Chiropractor ----> Had little to no effect on my pain and worsened brain fog.
Finally, Late April 2026, I got an Occipital Decompression Surgery. Doctor said my nerves were all out of wack, deeply compressed, and had to do a lot of work.
Month 1: Could not move my neck at all, did little to no activity besides walking and keeping bloodflow going.
Month 2: Could slightly move my neck, do gentle movements, and return to gentle daily activity.
Month 3: Finally started attending Physical therapy, was able free my neck, and return to normal daily activity with very light lifting, and gentle movements.
Month 4: Stagnated in progress due to depression and nicotine usage, still attended physical therapy, and started swimming.
Month 5 (now): Best improvement yet.
I've gotten myself on the most normal sleep schedule I can.
I do not drink, smoke MJ, or nicotine.
I attend physical therapy weekly
I workout 2x a week with moderate weight lifting and gentle cardio
I CONSTANTLY Focus on my posture and getting moving as much as possible
I heat my neck and head for 10 minutes, and Ice immediately after for 5-7 minutes
I try to maintain a positive attitude.
What I've gathered from 3 years of some of the most miserable pain and loss of function possible;
Focus heavily on your posture, staying very well hydrated, and keeping your body moving.
AVOID NICOTINE, AVOID ALCOHOL. Both of those things tend to worsen muscle spasms and cause more nueropathic pain for me. Avoid sitting for long periods of time, as it puts excess stress on your neck and trap muscles. If you have a partner, get them to massage your neck or put pretty good pressure on your trigger points, focus on your breathing.
For me, the best way I clear my brain fog and pain short term is: Standing up, rolling and stretching my neck, and doing this specific breathing exercise.
Take a very deep breath through your nose, and blow out through your mouth. Whilst blowing out through your mouth, Tighten/activate your core to a good degree. Then relax your core once the exhale is complete, and continue the process over and over again. I try to do deep inhales, and deep exhales.
DO. NOT. GIVE. UP. I have hit some serious lows while dealing with this, but I continue to pick myself up and continue to move forwards. If I can do it, you can too. I believe in all of you, and hope that all of you find some degree of recovery soon, and my post helps you out a little. Have a good day. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me.