How long will an occipital nerve block last?
Pain relief from an occipital nerve block usually will last for several months, but this may vary from patient to patient. You may have 3-4 of these injections a year.
Are you sedated for an occipital nerve block?
Rest assured, occipital injections are safe procedures and the area around the occipital nerve will be numbed with an anesthetic numbing agent before the procedure begins. If you would prefer to be asleep during the procedure, the doctor can provide you with IV sedation.
What is occipital nerve block used for?
An occipital nerve block is done to manage: Pain that affects the back of the head or one side of the head. People who have sensations of shooting, zapping, stinging or burning pain usually have the best response to the procedure. Some migraines or cluster headaches.
What are the side effects of an occipital nerve block?
Are there any side effects caused by an occipital nerve block?
- The most common side effect is pain at the site of injection.
- Other side effects include infection, bleeding, dizziness, weakness, numbness and lightheadedness. These effects are temporary and often last only six to eight hours.
What happens if occipital nerve block doesn’t work?
To obtain a more lasting effect, a more permanent procedure is to damage the nerve. Here, partial nerve injury could make the nerve even more irritable, and complete nerve destruction could lead to denervation pain. If the occipital nerve block doesn’t work, it is likely that the pain is coming from somewhere else.
What should I do after a nerve block injection?
How will I feel after the nerve block? You may have some soreness around the injection site. Your doctor may recommend applying ice or taking over-the-counter pain medicines. Tell your doctor if you have more pain, swelling or bruising than expected.
How do you feel after an occipital nerve block?
Immediately after the injection, you may feel that your pain may be gone or quite less. This is due to the local anesthetic injected. This will last only for a few hours. Your pain may return and you may have a sore head for a day or two.
Do they put you to sleep for a nerve block?
After a nerve block, the part of your body that will be operated on will be numb. Many times it is your choice to be as awake or asleep as you want. You never get to see the surgery itself because a large sterile drape is always placed between you and the surgeon.
Do occipital nerve blocks cause weight gain?
Potential side effects include but not limited to elevated glucose levels, altered menstrual cycle, fluid retention, bruising, insomnia, sweats, hot/cold flashes, flushing of the face, weight gain, or osteoporosis. Alternatives to the procedure include oral medications, physical therapy, or acupuncture.
What can go wrong with a nerve block?
A nerve block procedure goes wrong for several reasons. This includes hitting the bundle of nerves, injecting too little or too much of the medication, or missing the “pocket” where the nerves are and injected the medications into muscle or other structures which could be caustically affected by it.
Is a nerve block considered surgery?
What is a nerve block? A nerve block, or neural blockade, is a method of producing anesthesia — a loss of feeling used to prevent or control pain. Nerve blocks can be surgical or nonsurgical.
Can occipital nerve block make headaches worse?
A local anesthetic will be injected so that you won’t feel any pain during the procedure. The medicine for the occipital block will be inserted near your occipital nerve through a small needle near the base of your skull. Your headache may get worse briefly when the medicine is injected.
What diagnosis is covered for occipital nerve blocks?
When a occipital nerve block is used to confirm the clinical impression of the presence of occipital neuralgia. Chronic headache/occipital neuralgia can result from chronic spasm of the neck muscles as the result of either myofascial syndrome or underlying cervical spinal disease.
What happens after an occipital nerve block?
The full effect of the steroids may not be felt for two or three days. Their effect is more long lasting — sometimes weeks or months. After an occipital nerve block, a patient can usually drive home and return to normal daily activities the following day.
Does occipital neuralgia go away?
If a nerve block injected between the C2 and C3 vertebrae makes the symptoms go away, it is a strong indication of occipital neuralgia. Deadening the nerves with anesthetics and corticosteroids helps individuals feel better, although the effects are temporary, only lasting about 12 weeks.
Can occipital neuralgia heal?
One common form of physical therapy for treating occipital neuralgia is massage. Massaging the painful area can hit key spots of the nerve blood and oxygen flow. The increased blood and oxygen flow can help to heal damaged nerves.