Yes, almost always this is a self limited condition.

“pinched nerve” is a bit of a misnomer. The nerve may have been trapped and stretched between tensed muscles, or this could just be a pulled muscle or sprain.

In any case, the treatment is conservative. Rest, stretching, heat, over the counter analgesics if needed. You may get some benefit from massage. You don’t need to see a doctor, and you should never let a chiropractor within 6 ft of your neck.

i have suffered from a herniated disc in my neck and a pinched nerve root. i never had surgery like they suggested and i toughed it out and i am fine. also the same happened to my lower back, except for the pinched nerve root. it was horrible also, but it is now gone. and i suffer from a condition where my brain sends up to five times the pain signals. so you should be able to manage fine….

looks like Occipital neuralgia which occurs as a result of the spasms of pain to the front, back and sides of the head. It may be caused by a pinched nerve, compression of nerves in the spinal column, whiplash or sometimes even diabetes or gout. When tense muscles or ligaments presses against the nerve, irritation, inflammation and pain may occur. This pain is dull, throbbing, tingling and causes numbness.

Natural treatments are very effective for treating neuralgia and nerve damage, such as herbal and homeopathic remedies and tissue salts. These remedies are not only safe and gentle to use, but also supports general well-being and improve overall health. Tissue salts help to maintain cellular health in the organs and nervous systems of the body.

Herbal ingredients such as Zanthoxylum clava herculisis (Toothache Tree) and Matricaria recutita (German Chamomile) contain anti-spasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties that soothe the nervous system while at the same time relieve pain. Other beneficial herbs include Arctium lappa (Burdock) and Harpagophytum procumbens (Devil’s Claw) which are excellent for treating arthritis, lumbago, rheumatism, fibrositis, sciatica and small joint disease.

You may get additional details over here http://www.healthherbsandnutrition.com/remedies/n/neuralgia.htm

Talk to your family doctor and get a referral to a chiropractor. That is where I get most of my patients from. I do very gentle lower cervical manipulation w/o rotation. It is very safe and should be effective within 1-3 visits. Make sure you go to your family doctor first to rule out other more serious causes. Most chiropractors, don’t even know the right questions to ask when taking a history for headaches or neck pain.

it is possible it is due to something transient. it may be due to something not transient, like a subluxated atlas vertebra. see an hio method chiropractor for consultation.

If its been going on for a short period and is traumatic in origin it is likely to be a sub occipital head ache caused by muscle spasm. Pinched nerves in the neck tend to cause referred symptom such as pain or numbness in the face or arm.
This is the kind of problem I treat daily. If it is a straight forward strain/sprain I would expect it to resolve in a few treatments in someone 20 years old Take skepys advice about self treatment. If it doesn’t resolve in a week book yourself in with a suitably trained chiro, physio or osteopath. I wouldn’t bother seeing a doctor. All of the manual therpists I’ve listed should be suitably skilled to assess and refer on if necessary.