Headaches can vary in frequency from bothersome to severe. They can appear on the head at any location. Headaches causing pain in the back of the head may have a variety of causes. Additional signs may classify many of those causes. These signs include the type of pain felt and other areas where the pain can occur. What causes a headache in the back of the head?
Various common causes can cause headaches to develop in the back of the brain. These headaches can induce discomfort in certain areas in certain situations or are caused by other events.
The kinds of pain, position and other symptoms you experience will
help the doctor determine what causes and treat the headache.
Pain in the back of the head and neck
Arthritis
Inflammation and swelling of the neck can cause arthritis headaches.
Sometimes they inflict pain in the head and neck. Movements usually cause tremendous pain, and any form of arthritis can cause these headaches.
Rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis are the most severe ones.
Poor posture
Bad posture may also cause back and neck pain. Wrong positioning of your body causes tension in your back, shoulders, and arms. And the tension has the potential to induce a headache. At the base of your skull
you may experience a sullen, throbbing sensation.
Herniated disks
Herniated discs can cause back pain and discomfort in the cervical spine (neck). This can lead to a form of headache known as cervicogenic headache.
Usually, the pain originates in the back of the head and is felt. It can be noticed even in the temples or behind the head. Many signs may include pain in the neck or arms.
Cervicogenic headaches may get more intense when lying down. Indeed certain people will wake up because their sleep is disturbed by the pain.
You can even sense a sensation like a weight on the top of your head when you lay back.
Occipital neuralgia
Occipital neuralgia is a condition that occurs when the nerves that run from the spinal cord to the scalp are damaged. It is often associated with migraines. Occipital neuralgia causes intense, aching, throbbing pain in the neck at the base of the head and progresses toward the scalp.
Some symptoms are:
- Pressure in the eyes
- A sharp stabbing pain in the neck and back of the head that feels like an electrical shock
- Feeling sensitive to light
- Tender scalp
- pain as you move your arm
