Situation-related pain in the back of the head
If the pain in the back of the head occurs only or predominantly when touched, a contusion is the most likely cause. As a rule, occipital pain that only occurs when touched is no cause for concern and disappears by itself after a few days. Cooling or the application of pain and anti-inflammatory ointments can provide relief and accelerate the healing process.
However, if the pain is also present at rest and only increases when touched, a doctor should be consulted. This doctor can, for example, use a CT scan to rule out more serious consequences such as bleeding inside the skull. If the pain at the back of the head occurs exclusively or predominantly when lying down, you should specifically test whether this is only the case when lying on your back or also when lying on your side.
The former is most likely to indicate a contusion of the back of the head – for example, from a fall or the back of the head hitting a solid object – and the pain when lying down is simply caused by the pressure on the contusion. If the pain exists independently of the lying position and disappears after getting up, the cause is most likely to be found in the circulatory system. If the symptoms do not improve noticeably within one to two weeks, it is therefore advisable to consult a doctor. Pain in the back of the head is often associated with a cold and cough.Usually the pain is then due to the fact that the flu-like infection has weakened the body’s water balance – in these cases the usual home remedies against flu help: drink a lot, dress warmly and, if necessary, take pain-relieving medication such as Ibuprofen or Paracetamol.
Pain after localization
The skull bone is sometimes involved in the development of pain in the back of the head if the complaints are based on an accident (trauma). This usually consists of a fall on the back of the head or the bumping of the back of the head against a solid surface. Such accidents can be treacherous: If the affected person carries a laceration, it usually bleeds very heavily and alarms the person affected and his or her surroundings, so that a medical examination is usually performed immediately.
If, on the other hand, the back of the head does not bleed, this does not mean that the all-clear has been given: sometimes hard impacts cause fractures of the skull bones or bleeding inside the skull, which are not visible from the outside, but are all the more dangerous. If the fall or impact was very violent, or if the person affected feels any other symptoms in addition to the pain (e.g. nausea, impaired vision), a hospital should be visited as soon as possible! There the bones can be examined for fractures by a CT scan and at the same time bleeding within the skull can be ruled out.
In many cases, pain in the back of the head is associated with neck pain. This is because tension of the neck muscles is the most common cause of back pain. People with one-sided physical strain or predominantly sedentary work (especially office jobs) are particularly at risk for neck tension.
But also inappropriate sleeping conditions (inferior mattress, unsuitable pillow) can promote neck tension. Once the tension is there, it very rarely disappears on its own. Without appropriate improvements in environmental and/or working conditions, the pain often remains permanent and can sometimes reduce the quality of life of those affected.
It is therefore essential to improve the environmental conditions in order to eliminate the causes. This means: changing the sitting position more frequently in the office and getting up more often for a few minutes; getting comfortable, appropriate mattresses and pillows and avoiding one-sided strain on the back and neck if possible (heavy handbags are also among the risk factors!). In addition, warmth (e.g. in the form of cherry pit pillows), movement and relaxation exercises and massages help.
In very rare cases, meningitis (inflammation of the meninges) can be the cause of a combination of pain in the back of the head and neck. Most of those affected then also develop a fever and feel an increasing stiffness in the neck in addition to the neck pain. Since this disease is an emergency, immediate action should be taken and medical help should be sought!
This topic might also be of interest to you: Active treatment concept for neck painIf the pain in the back of the head is predominantly or exclusively on one side, it can have various causes. The most obvious explanation is that you fell on this side of the head or hit your head on this side. If you cannot remember such a situation, it is most likely that a one-sided load has led to a one-sided tension of the neck muscles, which now manifests itself as occipital pain.
In rarer cases, left or right-sided pain in the back of the head is also due to mastoiditis (inflammation in the mastoid process of the temporal bone) which has developed at the base of an inflammation of the middle ear. In such cases, there are usually other cold symptoms in addition to the pain. Theoretically, a tumor can also explain the unilateral occipital pain, but you should be aware that this is only really the case in the very few people affected.
