What diseases can cause occipitocranial pain? The occipital region, which includes the posterior occipital region and the posterior upper cervical region, has important structures such as the atlanto-occipital joint, atlanto-axial joint, C2/3 small joints, suboccipital deltoid muscle group, posterior branches of the 1st to 3rd cervical nerves and their branches, and the third segment of the vertebral artery. Lesions of these structures, such as inflammation or injury of the atlanto-occipital joint (nodal joint), subluxation or dysfunction of the atlanto-axial joint, dysfunction of the C2/3 subtalar joint, myofascial pain syndrome of the suboccipital triangle, and occipital neuralgia, can cause occipital neck pain. How is occipital pain diagnosed? The diagnosis of occipital pain disease is based on medical history, pain characteristics and careful physical examination. A history of whiplash injury, fall injury, long-term neck posture disorder, etc. often suggests atlanto-occipital joint injury, atlanto-axial joint subluxation or dysfunction, C2/3 small joint dysfunction, or suboccipital deltoid myofascial injury; long-term ambulatory workers often have suboccipital deltoid myofascial pain syndrome; herpes zoster virus infection may lead to occipital nerve inflammation and occipital neuralgia or post-herpetic neuralgia. Regarding pain characteristics, dull pain, soreness, and distension suggest myofascial pain syndrome; stabbing pain, discharge-like pain, and knife-like pain suggest neuralgia; accompanied by symptoms of autonomic dysfunction such as dizziness, nausea, panic, insomnia, etc., there may be atlantoaxial joint subluxation or dysfunction. Physical examination with more pressure points, deeper or diffuse suggests myofascial pain; pressure pain and movement disorders in small joints suggest small joint pathology; pressure pain radiating along nerves suggests neuroinflammation or nerve entrapment. How to treat occipital pain? Patients with mild symptoms and short history can be relieved by rest, hot compresses, massage, oral over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pain relievers (such as ibuprofen, fotarolim, and santalis) and topical creams or ointments. Patients with heavy symptoms and a long history need to visit a pain clinic, be examined and diagnosed by a doctor, and be relieved by medication, local injection, occipital nerve block, or try acupuncture, tui-na, manual correction, physical therapy, rehabilitation, etc. For those who have persistent pain, serious symptoms, and greater impact on life and work, they need to be hospitalized, and minimally invasive treatments such as local injection, occipital nerve block, acupuncture, pulsed radiofrequency conditioning, and radiofrequency thermal coagulation ablation can be adopted according to their specific conditions. If other treatments are ineffective, even nerve electrical stimulation, surgical nerve severance, microvascular decompression and other treatment methods are required. Those whose pain is caused by cervical disc lesions need to be treated for the intervertebral discs.