@sooz50 The artificial sweeteners in diet soda are somewhat toxic to the body, and I gave them up because it made my face tingle and I didn't feel good afterward. It's easy to do an elimination diet and figure out what your body doesn't tolerate. It just takes time. Sugar increases inflammation, and I use stevia as a sweetner which is a natural extract that does not increase blood sugar levels and it isn't a foreign chemical. I have a lot of food allergies, and allergies cause inflammation which can increase irritation of a nerve if there is already inflammation causing it. The wrong foods also cause a lot of inflammation that contributes to disease over time. The foods that don't promote inflammation are what doctors recommend for good health. Diseases or infections that cause inflammation also add to body wide inflammation that affects everything.

Misalignment of the skull, jaw and spine can cause pain. I can get a muscle spasm that rotates a cervical vertebra independently which then stretches the muscles attached to the spinous process (at the opposite side) of that vertebra which causes the muscle spasm to go up onto the back or side of my head. If my jaw is too tight on one side (because of a neck spasm), it causes the trigeminal nerve to tingle on my face. I don't have any compression of the nerve roots where they exit the spine, but if someone had that, it's another place to put pressure on the nerve that can be set off by a neck spasm. It's so easy to do that by sleeping in an awkward position. I do physical therapy and stretching to ease the tightness in my neck to maintain proper alignment. These issues were a lot more severe before I had surgery for cervical stenosis for a compressed spinal cord, and I had (and still have) thoracic outlet syndrome that causes tightness in my neck and chest that is worse on one side. That sets the stage to rotate a vertebra if it gets kicked up from something I've done like sleeping wrong, or overexerting myself when lifting something because it kicks on neck muscles to help when the shoulders are fatiguing. Since my spine surgery, everything has calmed down, and I continue to work on the TOS.

The body is designed for good ergonomics, and bad posture causes a lot of problems. Sitting at a computer, slumped forward with your neck outstretched toward the screen is one of the worst things you can do since it puts pressure on the occiput at the back of your skull. The shoulders round forward and compress the nerves and vessels that supply the arms which is a cause of TOS. Over time, the body gets stuck in an unnatural position and the fascia tightens and prevents good posture. That's a lesson I had to learn myself. What helps me the most for posture is increasing core strength in my spine because it supports everything. If my lower back isn't doing it's job well, I can't expect my neck to function well either. The spaces where nerves pass through the body are small and go around a lot of joints and curves, in-between muscle bundles, and get stretched when you move. For me, the best exercise is horseback riding (at a walk) with good posture because it builds the core strength when I have to compensate for every step he takes. That has built strength more than my physical therapy for my spine, but the physical therapy has been better at targeting the shoulder muscles around the scapulae that need to hold the shoulders back and prevent the forward slouch.

You may want to visit a physical therapist who does myofascial release and cranial work. MFR can free the irritated nerves and get the bones back in alignment where they belong. Here is a discussion on MFR with a lot of information.

These links can explain some of the issues with alignment of the skull as it sits on the spine.

https://trainingandrehabilitation.com/treating-migraine-headaches-addressing-atlas-thoracic-outlet/
https://trainingandrehabilitation.com/true-cause-solution-temporomandibular-dysfunction-tmd/

Thanks for your reply! For me? This seems to be nutrition -connected. I got a handle on my junk food eating when I was about 58...I stopped eating a lot of carbs, espec those foods with nitrates /nitrites... processed foods full of high amounts of preservatives and additives ( things like Costo's processed items, when you see those hard to pronounced things listed high up on list of ingredients! ) When i used to eat those things I 'd get a lot of those scalp zingers, But for the past 11 yrs ive made a conscious effort to stay away from taking in those big amount of bad foods ,and diet sodas with fake ingredients. I lost 60 lbs Im 69 and down to my best weight. I stay with good eating 95% of the time and daily exercise 100%, . My "scalp zingers" basically stopped during these past 11 yrs. Once in a blue moon they'd happen and it sure seemed to be linked to eating any high sugar/carb times when out with friends or at parties with a lot of processed foods i dont normally eat, or if i drank diet coke, The next day or two I got zingers! So try not to eat that way ... (.and if I do any Diet Sodas they are brands like Zevia that only use plant based sweeteners like Stevia) I went on vacation 4 weeks ago and fell off my "good nutrition" wagon big time! I mean we were eating party foods and drinking sugary cocktails. massive donuts, Burgers and fries etc. I also got a few Diet Cokes when thirsty at the airport . they didnt have my Zevia sodas I got home felt awful. Immune system weakened so i got a cold (and all those pollens while in beautiful "green forest" Portland didnt help) and sure enuf I had scalp zingers for 3 days and nights in row. It's gone now but for me? I swear it's related to intake of additives and preservatives and high sugars in processed foods and drinks. SO im' back on the wagon now! Here's hoping those zingers stay AWAY. NO fun! While i did have them if i took two Tylenol at night I could sleep, thankfully!