Occipital Headaches

Occipital Headaches

Occipital headaches are a very specific type of headache that occurs as a result of an injury in the cervical spine. This may be a result of a pinched or damaged nerve or joint at the C2 or C3 level in the spine.  The pain and/or tenderness typically radiates from the back of the neck up through the back of the head and sometimes around to the forehead and eyebrow region. It can also cause pain behind the ear and temple or sometimes down the shoulder and arm.

Common causes for occipital headaches include arthritis or pinched nerves in the spine or whiplash injuries.

Dr.Rousseau provides relief of this painful condition through targeted occipital nerve block injections or botox to block the painful sensations. He also performs medial nerve block in the neck and radiofrequency nerve ablation therapy when appropriate.