Occipital Nerve Block

Chronic headaches are a common complaint in patients with conditions which include, but are not limited to occipital neuralgia, chronic migraines, cluster headaches, hemicrania continua, and much more. However, these chronic headaches can be treated with excellent precision & efficacy through blocking the pain signals associated with migraines and other headache disorders such as occipital neuralgia. These pain signals travel across the sensory occipital nerves: greater & lesser. Therefore our clinic offers a procedure known as Occipital Nerve Block: a short 10-15 minute procedure where we can effectively target these occipital nerves with our injectable anesthetic medications and thereby substantially reduce the pain of those suffering from chronic headaches.
What To Expect From Your Procedure
You will arrive at our clinic 15 minutes prior to your appointment with or without a designated driver where we will educate you at length on the benefits & risks of the procedure. After this discussion we will then have you sign a consent form and you will subsequently be positioned in preparation for the procedure.

An antiseptic alcohol solution will then be used to clean the site of injection & surrounding skin to help decrease chances of infection. The procedure site will then be identified under ultrasound guidance. Once the site is appropriately identified an injection of a numbing medication called lidocaine will be administered to numb the site of injection & surrounding skin. Once the lidocaine has settled each occipital nerve will receive an injection consisting of an anesthetic (bupivacaine). This medication disperses and bathes the nerves providing optimal pain relief with most of our patients reporting significant & immediate relief of their headaches. You will then be observed for an additional 10-15 minutes following completion of the procedure to ensure your safety and then scheduled for post-procedural follow up by our staff.

What To Expect After Procedure
● Substantial reduction in headaches
● Pain relief ranging from days to months
● Acute short term mild swelling or pain around the injection site

Risks Associated With An Occipital Nerve Block
● Misplacement of the needle
● Unexpected bleeding
● Drug allergies
● Infection
● Nerve damage
● Worsening pain

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