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Treatment of Chronic Pain Conditions pp 109–111Cite as

Occipital Nerve Block

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Abstract

Occipital nerve block (ONB) allows blockade of nociceptive afferent fibers distributed over the occipital region, vertex, sides of the head, as well as upper cervical region, which is known to interact with the trigeminal complex. ONB may provide acute headache relief, abort an intractable headache cycle, or serve as part of prevention strategies for occipital neuralgia, migraine, cluster headaches, and other common headache disorders; ONB typically provides rapid pain relief, lasting days to weeks and months. ONB can be performed blindly or with ultrasound guidance. They are technically simple and well tolerated by patients and, if accurately performed, are remarkably safe.

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Suggested Reading

  1. Lambru G, Abu Bakar N, Stahlhut L, et al. Greater occipital nerve blocks in chronic cluster headache: a prospective open-label study. Eur J Neurol. 2014;21(2):338–43.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Western Reserve Hospital, 1900 23rd Street, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, 44223, USA

    Dmitri Souzdalnitski MD, PhD

  2. Center for Pain Medicine, Western Reserve Hospital, Cuyahoga Falls, OH, USA

    Syed S. Ali MD

  3. Pain Management Service, Firelands Regional Medical Center, Case Western Reserve University, Sandusky, OH, USA

    Sherif Zaky MD, MSC, PhD

  4. Department of Anesthesiology, University of California San Diego, Lajolla, CA, USA

    Imanuel Lerman MD, MS

Authors
  1. Dmitri Souzdalnitski MD, PhD
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  2. Syed S. Ali MD
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  3. Sherif Zaky MD, MSC, PhD
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  4. Imanuel Lerman MD, MS
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dmitri Souzdalnitski MD, PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Summit Pain Alliance, Santa Rosa, California, USA

    Jason E. Pope

  2. The Spine and Nerve Center of The Virginias, Charleston, West Virginia, USA

    Timothy R Deer

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© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media LLC

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Souzdalnitski, D., Ali, S.S., Zaky, S., Lerman, I. (2017). Occipital Nerve Block. In: Pope, J., Deer, T. (eds) Treatment of Chronic Pain Conditions. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6976-0_31

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-6976-0_31

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-6974-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-6976-0

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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