A condition called occipital neuralgia occurs when the occipital nerves that run through the scalp are injured or inflamed. It can result from many things, including pinched nerves, a head or neck injury, osteoarthritis, gout, or infection. Symptoms of occipital neuralgia can include a continuous throbbing, aching, or burning headache with intermittent shocks or shooting pain starting at the base of the head and running along the scalp. People with this condition may also have pain behind the eye on the affected side of the head, and pain can be triggered by something as light as hair brushing against the neck.

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