Occipital Nerve Block

Occipital nerve blocks are used to treat severe pain along the nerves in the head and neck. Many patients suffering from headaches due to this nerve pain receive this type of injection. The injection involves the administration of local anesthetic and steroid medication to the area of the scalp where the occipital nerves are located. The patient may have more than one injection to the occipital nerves depending upon the amount of relief that the patient received from the first injection. The doctor will meet with the patient weeks after the procedure to determine the amount of relief the patient received and to determine if another injection is needed.