How and why is the procedure done?
A greater occipital nerve block is performed to diagnose and treat headaches or neck pain associated with occipital neuralgia.  A local anesthetic and long-acting steroid are injected to bathe the inflamed nerve to decrease your pain.

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What should you expect?
An IV may be started to give medication to help decrease your anxiety.  A small needle will be used to perform the injection.  The back of your skull and top of your head may be numb for several hours from the local anesthetic that is injected around the nerve.  Typically, a long-acting steroid is injected as well and this will begin to work after 24-36 hours but may take up to one week to work to decrease the inflammation around the nerve.  Since it is possible that your ability to drive may be impaired, we ask that you have someone drive you home from the clinic.

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What are the side effects?
Anything more than a small amount of pain, bleeding or swelling at the site of the injection is unusual.  Using ice to injection site for the first 24 hours will help alleviate this.   If you develop any other problems, please call us immediately at 742-7030 so that we may recommend appropriate action.