Occipital Nerve Block & Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block
Occipital Nerve Block:
An occipital nerve block is a special treatment that helps lessen pain in the head and neck. Doctors use it for certain headaches like occipital neuralgia and cluster headaches, and also for neck pain from injuries such as whiplash.
What is an occipital nerve block?
It’s a shot that doctors give near the occipital nerves at the back of your head. These nerves start in your neck and go up to your scalp. The shot has numbing medicine, and sometimes a medicine called a steroid to reduce swelling. This helps stop pain messages from these nerves.
What does it help with?
Occipital neuralgia (a kind of headache)
Migraine headaches
Cluster headaches
Neck pain
Pain from whiplash
Sphenopalatine Ganglion Block:
A sphenopalatine ganglion block, or SPG block, is a treatment used to help with certain types of headaches. The sphenopalatine ganglion (SPG) is a group of nerve cells located deep inside your face, behind your nose. These nerves can send pain signals that lead to headaches.
During an SPG block, a doctor uses special medicine to numb these nerves and reduce headache pain.
SPG blocks are used to treat different headache problems, like migraines and cluster headaches. The relief from pain can last for different amounts of time for different people—some might feel better for a few hours, while others might have relief for days or even longer.
Doctors consider SPG blocks to be safe, and they can be a good option for children and teenagers who have strong headaches that don’t get better with other treatments.