Occipital Nerve Block in Palm Coast, FL

When pain starts at the base of the skull and shoots up over the scalp, there are two specific nerves worth numbing to find out whether they’re the ones carrying it.

What it treats

An occipital nerve block addresses pain in the back of the head and scalp, and it has a role in broader headache care:

For occipital neuralgia the case is direct — those are the nerves involved. In migraine, a block is used as part of a wider plan, particularly when pain concentrates at the back of the head or when attacks have run together and something is needed to interrupt the cycle.

How it works

The greater occipital nerve arises from C2 in the upper neck, with the lesser occipital nerve emerging just alongside it. Both travel through the muscles at the back of the skull and fan out across the scalp — which is why irritation down at the base of the head registers as pain up at the crown or behind the eye.

Those nerves can be compressed where they pass through muscle, entrapped in scarred tissue after injury or surgery, or become sensitized alongside a headache disorder. Surrounding them with local anesthetic, often with a steroid added, quiets both nerves. If your pain eases, you’ve learned something specific: it was travelling that route.

Dr. Manuel López, a board-certified pain management and rehabilitation physician, performs the block with the nerves located by anatomical landmark and by palpating for the tender point that reproduces your familiar pain — a step that also confirms he’s working where your symptoms actually live.

What to expect

This is a quick in-office procedure with no overnight stay.

• Before: you sit forward with your head slightly down so the base of the skull is accessible, and the skin is cleaned.
• During: a fine needle delivers the medication at the target points. Most patients report brief stinging, then pressure. The whole thing is short.
• After: the scalp on that side commonly feels numb or heavy, which is expected. Some patients feel relief almost immediately; some feel it later.

Pay attention to what happens over the rest of that day and the next. Whether the shooting pain stops, whether the tender spot calms, and whether your headache severity shifts is what Dr. López wants at follow-up.

Is it right for you?

A block is often the sensible next move when:

• Your pain begins at the base of the skull on one side and travels upward
• There’s a specific tender point back there that reproduces the pain when pressed
• Your scalp is sensitive to touch, brushing, or a pillow
• Headaches have been treated as migraine without a clear response, and no one has examined these nerves

Dr. López will review bleeding risk and any blood thinners, infection at or near the site, and any prior surgery in that area, since it can change what lies beneath the skin. Prior imaging of the head or neck is useful to have on hand.

Get the back of your head examined properly

If your headache reliably starts low and climbs, the nerves back there should be examined by someone who treats them.

Call (386) 222-7746 or request an appointment.