A combination of steroids and pain medication is injected on the back of your head around the greater occipital nerve into the scalp. The purpose of this procedure is to treat chronic headaches that are caused by irritations to the back of your head nerve. Pain physicians in Dallas believe that a procedure of occipital nerve block will give immediate relief from the pain.
Who Is A Good Candidate For Occipital Nerve Block?
You may be a suitable candidate for treatment of occipital nerve block if you manifest following facts:
- Occipital neuralgia
- Persistent headache
- Cluster headache
- Chronic migraine
- Hemicrania continua
Complexities related to occipital nerve blocks are uncommon. You will observe temporary senselessness over regions connected to the occipital nerves, accompanied by mild soreness identified at the injection sites ranging from three to five days. Difficult speech and swallowing might be reported that stays for hours mostly and occurs rarely.
Occipital nerve blocks belong to outpatient procedures and may be performed without requirement of general anesthesia.
What Are The Benefits Of An Occipital Nerve Block?
Possible benefits of an occipital nerve block involve following:
- Temporary or prolonged pain relief, that facilitates you to function in a better way with passing time.
- Temporary or permanent decrease of inflammation in the defective nerves, which may facilitate them to heal.
- Suggesting a diagnosis about the source of pain.
- It’s necessary to note that not all individuals experience pain relief from occipital nerves. You may be required to apply other treatment options in this situation.
What Does an Occipital Nerve Block Treat?
An occipital nerve block is performed to treat several types of headaches, including:
- Migraines. A nerve block can also reduce headaches that are not under direct influence of nerve irritation. The occipital nerves may participate as transmitters of pain signals causing migraines. Blockage of signals from these occipital nerves therefore helps in removing the associated pain.
- Cluster headaches. Cluster headaches are the most prominent types of head pain. They are present in clusters, or patterns of cyclical style. Cluster headaches may cause you to wake up between the night. They lead to intense pain surrounding one eye or one side of the head.
- Diagnostic procedure. An occipital nerve block serves as a diagnostic procedure for other issues. However, it can be hard to identify the difference between pain that initiates in occipital nerves and the pain that initiates in another area of your spine. A nerve block can facilitate the doctors to diagnose the exact location of pain coming from and develop a plan for clear targeted therapy.
What Happens During An Occipital Nerve Block Procedure?
Healthcare providers like back pain doctor in Dallas usually perform the procedure of occipital nerve blocks for pain relief in an outpatient office. This happens when you’re not admitted to a hospital to perform a procedure and can go back home in a shorter period of time after it. In usual, you can hope for following considerations when you undergo an occipital nerve block:
- You may sit straight with your head moved down with support of your hands or lay down on your stomach on the performance table with a soft pillow under your chest that slightly flexes your neck.
- You may administer mild relaxants through an IV drip in your arm to facilitate relaxation.
- The provider will observe your neck back to identify the targeted occipital nerve. In rare cases, they may recommend imaging techniques including fluoroscopy or ultrasound to detect the nerve.
- They’ll clear the skin surface of your neck with an antiseptic cream.
- The healthcare provider will insert the medications at areas closer to the affected nerve.
- After the treatment, you’ll rest till the moment medications show effect.
- The treatment shouldn’t take longer than five minutes.
Summary
Occipital nerve blocks are combinations of medicines which are used to release swelling and pain which starts at the base of the skull around the nerves, which leads to headaches. An occipital nerve block is mostly considered a safe treatment, but its duration and effectiveness may vary from one person to another.
Often a doctor will suggest other treatment options before prescribing an occipital nerve block. The procedure is not so long and may take a few minutes to complete.
