Bone spur At base of skull causing severe head pain

[chelzboo]

Ok so I have this Bone spur (osteophyte) at the base of my skull.
I have had it for 5 years now, that I can recall.
And when My doctors found the Osteophyte they were quite baffled by the location.
But lately my head has been feeling like it is going to explode on a daily basis.
Each morning I wake up and my head begins to hurt, the pain starts out from
where my Bone spur is and as the day goes on the pain begins to spread
through out my entire head. Each day the pain varies, some days it is more
severe than others, to the point where it is sensitive to touch and I cant go to sleep.
I have been to several different doctors. All with their own opinions. Some think that
my muscles are locked and the tendons and nerves in my neck are pulling or rubbing
against my bone spur causing me pain. Others think that Its Migraines and tension
headaches  from being stressed and that it has nothing to do with my bone spur. Both I believe are
very possible but if it is Migraines than why do I feel this pain all the time, even when I
am just relaxing? At the moment I am going to physical Therapy, relaxing my muscles
and relieving some of the stress and pain in my neck. My doctor also prescribed me a medication
to prevent the Migraines. Which I have been taking as directed. I've also been staying away from all of the
"triggers"  of Migraines, But the pain still subsides, and
i've began to feel nauseated all the time now. I know that nausea is a symptom of Migraines But
I am also afraid that It could be because of my overuse of Ibuprofen/ pain relievers, in which I was
taking when the pain first began.

So I guess my question is, Does anyone have the same symptoms? And is the pain because of
my bone spur or Migraines?

[BHBullard]

The reason you're likely getting headaches is because the bone spur/osteophyte is growing downward and pressing on your Vagus Nerve.

A CT scan will confirm this.

I just had one done because I was having issues with neuralgia, which is basically flaring up every now and then because this spur is pressing on the nerve.

Your options are basically local shots to help deaden the nerve and relieve the inflammation.

Surgery may be an option, but with the proximity of the bone to the nerve, I'm not entirely sure how feasible this option is.

You'll need to speak to your family practiontioner or and/or a neurologist.

[njwright1927]

a few years ago i was diagnosed with severe sinusitus.  I was in the emergency every other day for morphine shots due to pain.   not even that helped.   i finally went to an ENT and he decided to go in and place balloon stents and also clean up the sinus cavity to relieve the pain and swelling.   He stated when he went in what did not show up on the MRI or the CT scan was quiet a shock to him because as he cleaned he scoped the area and found 4 bone spurs 2 inches long and 1/4 diameter.  so when the sinus cavity sweated.    to no availe i was in severe pain worse then a migrain.  he remvoed them

[ane0249]

I have been experiencing the same kind of pain for the past 7 years. I have been seeing a neurologist and have tried every medication and have done 3 series of Botox injection. Nothing has helped. He just put me on the Butran patch and I finally have had 5 days in a row of relief. I don't like the idea of being on something constantly. However, the past year has been everyday pain, varying in the severity. So the relief for 5 days straight was fantastic! I saw an orthopedic today, who confirmed that I have a bone spur at the base of my neck and is probably what is causing the pain. He said I could do a nerve ablation (where they burn the nerve). But in the mean time, he did a facet injection. I will continue to get those until I can get the nerve ablation. I hope you find relief. It is terrible to hurt all the time.

[Lordhelpp]

Omg...my bonespur is at the base of my head and my syptoms reflect yours. No migraines though. My doctor perscribed Tizanidine 2 to 4mg. It really helps, but 4mg makes me sleepy. You will sleep well though.

[Katie777]

Yes I too was diagnosed with the same thing, however I am getting treatment from a special chiropractor called an atlas orthogonist. He has helped my children as well. Look into it.

[lucielamb]

I think you may have a pituartry tumour.  Have you had an MRI scan? the reason i say this is that I had a pituartry tumour 5 years ago and had it removed through keyhole surgery.  The pituartry gland regulates the release of hormones, as you probably already know.  These types of tumours are benign so there is nothing to worry about but the one thing you do have to keep your eye on is your period.  if you start to miss or skip periods i really think you should get and endokrinologist to look at your hormone levels and send you for an MRI scan, you may have a tumour which may e starting to affect your hormone levels as once the tumour affects your periods you could lose them altogether and become infertile - just one of the affects.  

[crystal19985]

I just found out my 14 yr old son has bone spurs on the base of his neck and back of the skull.They told him motrin and gave him tylenol with codine at night for the pain.It seems to cause other problems as well,changes in personality ,lack of balance and severe mood swings.They said it was caused from his seizures,because of how violent he jerks his head back.Causing the tendon at the back of the neck to tear and causing the spur to grow,stretching on the thin membrane around the skull.This membrane is full of nerves.Which is causing the pain and other symptoms.Today I'm calling his neurologist and the orthopedic to see if there is anything else we can do.He can't concentrate in school or at home.Yesterday he picked up a knife and was prtending to stab a piece of tupperware and I kept telling him no,but he kept smiling and had these strange look on his face then stabbed it.I smacked himin the arm and he looked at me and said what did you do that for?He didn't even realize what he had just done.I'm afraid to leave him alone with his siblings.

[DeeDeedy]

I was just told that I have a bone spur at the base of my skull also . I have not started P.T yet and I am waiting to hear from my Dr. but I understand your pain. I have also been suffering from severe headaches for 5 years. They start at the base of my skull on the right side and continue to spread throughout the day . To the point where I just need to lie down and be still . I can't move my head . I have been told over the years that it is stress headaches or hormonal migraines . I am popping Ibuprofen like candy . I can't sleep at night from the pain . I am hoping that they can do something about it . I have had enough . I have also been having fertility issues and skipping periods , with no real reason and am wondering if this could be the cause . My spur is located directly under my pituitary gland which regulates your hormones . Who knows I have a lot more questions than answers right now . I hope you get what you need and feel better soon .