Case study 107 - Occipital neuralgia Occipital neuralgia is a rare neurological condition that involves shooting, shocking, throbbing, burning, or aching pain and headache that generally starts at the base of the head and spreads along the scalp on one or both sides of the head. It involves the occipital nerves, which run from the area where the spinal column meets the neck, up to the scalp at the back of the head. Pain is typically felt in the: * Upper neck * Back of the head * Behind the eyes