Occipital Nerve Block

Excerpt

Greater than 15% of the population reports experiencing a severe, debilitating headache. Headaches are ranked tenth as the most common health problem and first as the most common nervous system disorder. Approximately 1.4 to 2.2% of the global population experiences headaches at least 15 days per month. This painful disorder can reduce the quality of life and is associated with a large socioeconomic burden. For this reason, the management of headache pain is becoming an increasingly popular topic among specialists.

The greater occipital nerve block is a growing interest among many providers for headache treatment. The greater occipital nerve (GON) transverses the upper neck and posterior occiput. Dysfunction of the nerve is associated with several commonly encountered headaches, including classic migraine, occipital neuralgia, cervicogenic, and cluster headache. The GON-block can achieve significant analgesia as a primary headache treatment and be used as a second-line treatment when other methods have failed. Symptom improvement frequently varies from patient to patient and can be very difficult to predict.

When a GON-block is successful, pain typically improves after 20-30 minutes and can last for several hours to several months. For patients impacted by severe or frequent headaches, this treatment can substantially improve their quality of life. If more than three nerve blocks are required in six months, a provider should explore additional, alternative treatment options.