Occipital Bone

The human occipital bone composes the back of the skull, articulates with the first vertebra, and its foramen magnum is the site where the spinal cord enters the skull.

Human and chimpanzee occipital bones are thought to grow and develop in distinctly opposite bone remodeling patterns. Preliminary research examining growth-remodeling fields (GRFs) from the surfaces of the occipital bone in modern humans and chimpanzee indicates this may not be entirely correct.

The bone of the rear and base of the skull is called the occipital bone. The occipital has a large hole in it, called the foramen magnum, which accommodates the passage of the spinal cord from the base of the brain.

On either side of the foramen magnum are the occipital condyles, which are the articulation point of the skull and the atlas vertebra at the top of the vertebral column.

The probe is pointing to an occipital condyle on the underside of the skull (base). The two occipital condyles are large rounded kidney  shaped projections of occipital bone that are located contralateral to the foramen magnum and that articulate with the superior facets of the cervical vertebra.

occipital bone disease

Occipital neuralgia is a neurological condition in which the occipital nerves   the nerves that run from the top of the spinal cord at the base of the neck up through the scalp  are inflamed or injured. Occipital neuralgia can be confused with a migraine, or other types of headache, because the symptoms can be similar.

But occipital neuralgia is a distinct disorder that requires an accurate diagnosis to be treated properly.

In Paget’s Disease, the bone remodeling process is disregulated. New bone is placed where it is not needed, and old bone is removed where it is needed.
This disregulation can distort the normal skeletal architecture