Cervicogenic — from the neck.
The pain is closely linked to the cervical spine and neck muscles. It often radiates from there into the back of the head, temples, or forehead.
Your medical team
Who treats you.
- Dr. med. Philipp SchröderDoctor, orthopaedics & trauma surgery (in specialist training)
- Prof. Dr. med. Albrecht MolsbergerSpecialist in orthopaedicsMedical Director
- Jonas BeckerSpecialist in orthopaedics and trauma surgery
At the reference centre for Axomera therapy, you are treated by a medical team led by Prof. Molsberger.
01 · Headache after whiplash
When the headache persists after the accident.
With whiplash or other head injuries, the headache may only become noticeable over time. Soft tissue injuries often occur that are not visible in imaging but which lead to headaches in the long term.
From acute pain to chronic course.
If post-traumatic headache persists for weeks, the risk of a chronic course increases. Early, targeted treatment is crucial.
Differentiation & imaging.
We review the available findings, rule out relevant structural causes, and classify the clinical picture professionally — before we discuss treatment options.
For professionals: show evidence
After whiplash trauma, a significant proportion of those affected develop a chronic course with persistent neck and headache symptoms; reviews estimate the chronic WAD rate at up to 50%, with about 16% suffering from persistent severe impairment. The diagnostic validity of "headache attributed to whiplash injury" as a distinct entity is debated.
Anarte-Lazo E et al. Headache features in people with whiplash associated disorders: a scoping review. Musculoskelet Sci Pract 2023;66:102802. PMID 37357053. — Schrader H et al. Examination of the diagnostic validity of 'headache attributed to whiplash injury'. Eur J Neurol 2006;13(11):1226–32. PMID 17038037. — Sterling M et al. Whiplash-associated disorder — advances in pathophysiology. Front Rehabil Sci 2022, PMC9686416.I had a fall while skiing and had severe headaches for over four weeks, day and night, and couldn't sleep. MRI, X-ray, painkillers, opiates, and injections into the cervical spine hadn't helped. A first improvement occurred a few hours after the first Axomera treatment.
02 · Occipital neuralgia
Sharp, lightning-like pains from the neck.
Neuralgia of the greater occipital nerve (less commonly the minor or third) is classified as a cranial neuralgia according to the ICHD-3 criteria — and is frequently clinically misdiagnosed as "normal" tension-type headache or migraine. We are well acquainted with this picture from our Düsseldorf consultation hours.
Seconds- to minute-long stabs.
Sharp, shooting, often described as "electric" pain. Between attacks, a dull sensation of pressure often remains in the back of the head.
From the neck to behind the eye.
Beginning at the base of the skull, radiating across the crown, temple — in more severe cases up to behind the ipsilateral eye (so-called convergent nociceptive pathways).
Pressure pain over the nerve exit.
Typical is tenderness to pressure over the occipital nerve at the base of the skull. Triggers are often neck rotation, prolonged forward leaning, or pressure on the back of the head (pillow, helmet).
Often post-traumatic.
Whiplash injuries, prolonged screen time, constriction situations in the area of the upper cervical spine and neck muscles — the result is mechanical irritation of the nerve fibres.
For professionals: show evidence
According to ICHD-3 (13.4), the diagnosis requires paroxysmal, stabbing pain in the distribution of the greater/lesser/third occipital nerve, with tenderness to pressure and (temporary) response to a diagnostic nerve block. The most frequent cause is compression of the greater (approx. 90% of cases) or lesser (approx. 10%) occipital nerve; individual diagnostic blocks have false-positive rates of up to 40%, which is why a second block is useful for confirmation.
ICHD-3, Section 13.4 Occipital neuralgia, ichd-3.org. — Choi I, Jahnke S. Occipital Neuralgia — StatPearls, NBK538281. — Vanterpool CS et al. Ultrasound-Guided Greater Occipital Nerve Blocks and PRFA for Occipital Neuralgia. PMC3833045.03 · Greater auricular nerve neuralgia
Burning in front of and behind the ear.
The greater auricular nerve is a sensory branch of the upper cervical plexus (C2/C3). It supplies the skin over the auricle, mastoid, angle of the mandible, and parotid gland. Its neuralgia is often confused with ear, temporomandibular joint, or trigeminal complaints — patients travel specifically to Düsseldorf for diagnosis and therapy.
Burning with interspersed stabs.
Persistent burning or pulling, interspersed with shooting, seconds-long stabs. Often accompanied by sensory disturbances, tingling, or numbness in the supply area.
Auricle, mastoid, angle of the mandible.
In front of and behind the auricle, over the mastoid process, at the angle of the jaw, and laterally on the cheek/neck — exactly in the nerve's supply area.
Pressure on the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
Tinel-like sign over the course of the nerve on the sternocleidomastoid. Provocation through head rotation, side-lying, tight collars, or pressure in the surgical area.
Trauma, surgery, prolonged pressure.
Common triggers include neck surgeries (parotid, carotid, lymph nodes), blunt neck trauma, as well as prolonged pressure — e.g., sleeping on the side, heavy helmets, tight clothing.
For professionals: show evidence
Neuralgia of the greater auricular nerve (C2/C3) is rare and documented in the literature predominantly as case series. In the largest published series (13 cases), sufferers mostly responded clearly to diagnostic nerve blocks; for therapy-refractory courses, peripheral nerve stimulators were also used. Standard neuropathic medication showed no sufficient effect in several cases.
Duvall JR, Garza I, Kissoon NR et al. Great Auricular Neuralgia: Case Series. Headache 2020;60(1):247–258. PMID 31749202. — Robertson CE, Garza I. Great auricular neuralgia: case series. J Headache Pain 2013;14(Suppl 1):P161. — Christ S et al. Identification of the great auricular nerve by ultrasound imaging and transcutaneous nerve stimulation. Anesth Analg 2012;114:1128–1130.04 · Differentiation
Three nerve neuralgias — and how to distinguish them.
Occipital, auricular, and trigeminal nerves are anatomically close to each other and are often confused in practice. This overview shows the clinically most important differences.
Back of the head · Stabs
- Location
- Occiput → crown of the head; stabs behind the eye possible.
- Character
- Seconds-long, electrical stabs; constant pressure in between.
- Pressure point
- Nerve exit at the base of the occiput.
Ear region · Burning
- Location
- In front of/behind the ear, mastoid, angle of the mandible.
- Character
- Persistent burning with interspersed stabs, sensory disturbances.
- Pressure point
- Course over the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
Face · Lightning
- Location
- Forehead, cheek, lower jaw — in the trigeminal distribution.
- Character
- Lightning-like attacks, triggered by light stimuli.
- Trigger zone
- Touching the skin, chewing, brushing teeth.
Classification is done clinically — history, targeted pressure and provocation findings, and if necessary, a diagnostic nerve block secure the diagnosis and define the therapeutic goals.
How Axomera acts
One level deeper: targeted at the affected nerve or tissue.
Axomera (percutaneous bioelectric current stimulation, PBCS) generates controlled static electric fields in the treatment area within the range of naturally occurring potentials — addressing the "electrical dimension" of inflammation and pain.
For whiplash injury and occipital neuralgia, we treat near the nerve at the upper cervical spine, for greater auricular neuralgia along the course of the neck, for SUNCT in the eye-forehead area of the trigeminal nerve. For patients, the treatment feels similar to acupuncture; technically, it is different — fine probes, low physiological currents, microprocessor-controlled.
Inflammation has an electrical dimension. Axomera starts exactly there.
Axomera is an internationally patented bioelectrical procedure.
How Axomera therapy works →Where we make the difference
Orthopaedic root — bioelectrically rethought.
Established treatment — and its limits.
Conventionally, pain medication, manual therapy, anticonvulsants (for neuralgias), nerve blocks, and injections are used. We know these paths and their limits from our orthopaedic pain medicine practice.
Bioelectrically at the nerve structure itself.
The goal is to break a chronic course — for headache after whiplash injury just as for occipital and greater auricular neuralgia. Statements on the number of sessions remain guide values from our experience.
We state this consciously as a goal. How much relief can be achieved in individual cases depends on the individual course.
Your treatment team
Who treats you.
Prof. Dr. med. Albrecht Molsberger
Developer of Axomera therapy · Medical Director
As the developer of Axomera therapy, he oversees the indication and is involved in your treatment personally upon request. His experience in conservative pain medicine informs the planning of your treatment series.
Career history
- Specialist in Orthopaedics; additional qualifications in Sports Medicine, Acupuncture, Naturopathy
- Habilitation 2005, adjunct professorship for Orthopaedics at Ruhr University Bochum
- Conception and management committee of the GERAC studies (German Acupuncture Trials)
- Development of Axomera therapy since 2008
Dr. med. Philipp Schröder
Doctor, orthopaedics & trauma surgery (in specialist training)
Performs your Axomera treatment and accompanies you throughout the entire treatment series. He reviews your findings and assesses whether the procedure is suitable for you. He also participates in the technical development.
Career history
- Doctor, orthopaedics & trauma surgery (in specialist training); medical degree, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 2020
- Doctorate magna cum laude, Ruhr University Bochum (2021): Pain localisation in cluster headache
- Expert courses in Ultrasound in Pain Medicine (DEGUM curriculum, level I); Expert course in Sports Medicine
- Technical co-development of Axomera therapy; co-founder of Columbus Health-Products GmbH
Further practitioner
Jonas Becker
Doctor, Specialist in Orthopaedics and Trauma Surgery
Organises your previous findings, performs Axomera diagnostics, and accompanies you throughout the entire treatment series. He reviews your findings and, based on his experience, assesses whether the procedure is suitable for you.
Contact · Online reception01 · Telephone 02 · Video 03 · Practice
Clarify first. Then travel.
Three ways to reach us, around the clock, directly here on the site. For each, you can upload doctor's letters, findings, and MRI images at the same time — encrypted into your file, reviewed by a doctor before we speak.
Briefly check if it's a fit.
Ten minutes with a doctor. Free of charge.
- ·For those who are unsure
- ·Upload findings beforehand
- ·No obligation
Consultation on findings without the travel.
Medical assessment via video.
- ·For patients traveling from further away
- ·Second opinion before making a decision
- ·According to GOÄ, amount visible upon booking
Everything in one appointment.
Examination, Axomera diagnostics, plan, costs.
- ·For all who wish to visit
- ·The direct route for distances up to about 100 km
- ·Bring or upload findings
Prefer personal contact? Call: +49 211 866880
Our practice treats exclusively by prior appointment.
The telephone initial assessment is not a treatment and does not replace an examination. Whether Axomera is suitable for you will be decided after a medical examination.