Improvement in clinical outcomes after dry needling in a patient with occipital neuralgia

The primary purpose of this case report is to outline the diagnosis, intervention and clinical outcome of a patient presenting with occipital neuralgia. Upon initial presentation, the patient described a four-year history of stabbing neck pain and headaches. After providing informed consent, the patient underwent a total of four dry needling (DN) sessions over a two-week duration. During each of the treatment sessions, needles were inserted into the trapezii and suboccipital muscles. Post-intervention, the patient reported a 32-point change in her neck disability index score along with a 28-point change in her headache disability index score. Thus, it appears that subsequent four sessions of DN over two weeks, our patient experienced meaningful improvement in her neck pain and headaches. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report describing DN to successfully improve clinical outcomes in a patient diagnosed with occipital neuralgia.