Start with what life feels like now
When might an occipital nerve block help explain head pain?
We help people with neck or head symptoms that interrupt daily life by examining structural and nervous-system findings together so that they can understand their options for getting moving again.
How we look at the whole picture
Turning your head, staying at a desk or holding one position can bring on pain, dizziness or trouble focusing.
You need an explanation that takes both the physical symptoms and their effect on your day seriously.
You do not need to know which treatment to ask for. Start with what has changed and what you want to be able to do again.
The 7 Domains of Recovery™
Your symptoms may belong in the same conversation.
Body position, neck function, balance, pain and autonomic responses can interact. We consider the seven domains while checking which findings need further clinical review.
Neuregen's proprietary 7 Domains of Recovery framework organizes that conversation around seven connected parts of your life and health. We consider all seven, then focus the evaluation on the questions your history raises.
Explore our clinical framework- 1Brain function & neural networks
What has changed in your memory, concentration, balance or sensory tolerance?
- 2Autonomic & nervous system regulation
What happens when you stand, move, rest or encounter stress?
- 3Immune function & neuroinflammation
What immune history, reactions or symptoms need a closer look?
- 4Brain energy & metabolic health
What affects your energy through the day and after activity?
- 5Structure, stability & body-to-brain signals
How do pain, posture, movement and stability affect what you can do?
- 6Psychological flexibility & behavioral recovery
How are mood, stress and patterns of coping affecting your day?
- 7Life, relationships & environment
What demands, relationships and support shape your recovery?
A plan starts with the things you want to do again.
We start with your symptom history and prior imaging or specialist reports. The examination guides whether further assessment, precautions or a different referral is needed.
01
Tell us what you want your life to look like
We start with what has changed, what you have tried, and the activities you most want to return to.
02
Answer the questions the history leaves open
We review prior reports and select relevant assessments. You should understand what each assessment is meant to clarify.
03
Agree on the priorities and the first steps
We discuss the findings, possible approaches, costs and practical constraints. The plan sets an order that fits your situation.
04
Check what changes and adjust together
We compare your response with the starting point, including daily function. If something is not helping, we discuss what needs to change.
Only then do we discuss which therapies, if any, belong in your plan. The choice depends on the findings, the evidence, your preferences and how you respond.
Talk through your situationPrecision Injection Therapies · GON Block
Greater Occipital Nerve (GON) Block
A targeted injection at the back of the head for headaches that start in the neck and radiate forward.
Clinically: Ultrasound-guided anesthetic block of the greater occipital nerve, used for occipital neuralgia, cervicogenic headache, and migraine with occipital involvement, within a plan that also addresses the cervical and autonomic drivers.
Conceptual artwork for the care discussion. Individual findings and treatment options require clinical evaluation.
The mechanism: turning down the input at the back of the head
The greater occipital nerve arises from the second cervical nerve root and supplies sensation to the back and top of the scalp. Its fibers converge in the upper cervical spinal cord with fibers from the trigeminal nerve, which supplies the face and front of the head. That shared relay, the trigeminocervical complex, is why a problem at the base of the skull can produce pain behind the eyes or across the forehead, and why neck-driven headaches are so often misread as something else.
A GON block places local anesthetic around the nerve as it emerges near the occipital protuberance. The anesthetic silences the nerve for its duration of action, and in many headache disorders the relief outlasts the anesthetic because reducing the occipital input lowers sensitization at the trigeminocervical relay. Ultrasound guidance lets the nerve and the occipital artery beside it be identified before the needle is placed.
At Neuregen the block is a diagnostic tool as well as a treatment. If the headache pattern changes after the block, that confirms the occipital nerve and upper cervical segments as a driver and points the rehabilitation plan at the neck, posture, and load. If the pattern does not change, the assessment moves on to other mechanisms rather than repeating the procedure.
Domains most involved:
Every plan starts from the same map: the 7 Domains of Recovery.
How it fits your plan
An occipital nerve block is considered when the history and examination suggest a relevant source of head pain. We explain what the procedure is intended to address and what follow-up is appropriate.
An injection is worth discussing only when the evaluation identifies a problem it may address. We consider that problem alongside sleep, movement, autonomic symptoms and daily function, then explain what rehabilitation would involve with or without the procedure.
We review your history, explain the findings, agree on next steps and check how you respond.
Potential Therapies
We use established medicine where it works, and emerging medicine where it makes sense.
These are options to discuss after evaluation, not a predetermined treatment plan. Each label refers to the condition or indication described beside that therapy; evidence can differ for another use. An evidence label does not mean FDA approval.
- Ultrasound-guided greater occipital nerve blockEvidence: Established
Local anesthetic with or without corticosteroid; the agent and whether to repeat are set by clinical response.
- Cervical and oculomotor examinationEvidence: Established
Performed before the block to localize the driver and after it to interpret the response.
Where the evidence stands
Greater occipital nerve block is an established procedure for occipital neuralgia and is supported by controlled trials for migraine and cluster headache. Its use within a broader neurorehabilitation and autonomic plan, rather than as a standalone repeat injection, reflects Neuregen's framework rather than a separate evidence claim.
- Inan LE et al. Greater occipital nerve blockade for the treatment of chronic migraine: a randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Acta Neurologica Scandinavica, 2015.
- Ambrosini A et al. Suboccipital injection with a mixture of rapid- and long-acting steroids in cluster headache: a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Pain, 2005.
How we grade evidence
Pricing
| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Strategy ConsultationA real clinical conversation, not a sales call | Confirmed in writing at your Strategy Consultation |
Neuregen is an out-of-network specialty clinic. Most therapies listed here are not covered by insurance; we provide itemized documentation you can submit to your insurer, and we tell you before any therapy which parts, if any, are typically reimbursed.
Financing options are reviewed at your Strategy Consultation before any plan is finalized.
The training behind this care
At Neuregen, the injection discussion sits inside a rehabilitation plan. Our team connects the proposed procedure to findings, practical goals and follow-up instead of treating the procedure as the whole course of care.
Dr. David George: Board certifications and training in functional neurology, integrative psychiatry, and mental health; certified brain injury specialist.
Training most relevant to this area
- Ultrasound-guided neural hydrodissection and neural prolotherapy (perineural injection therapy)
These are the founder’s qualifications. We confirm the treating clinician and their role when discussing your plan.
See Dr. George’s full credentialsFrequently asked questions
What conditions is a GON block used for?
Occipital neuralgia, cervicogenic headache (headache generated by the upper neck), migraine with pain at the back of the head, and post-concussion headache with an occipital or cervical component. We confirm on examination that the occipital nerve or upper cervical segments are involved before offering the block.
What is injected?
A local anesthetic, sometimes combined with a corticosteroid. The choice depends on the headache diagnosis and how the nerve responded to any previous block. We review the specific agents with you before the procedure.
How long does relief last?
The anesthetic itself wears off within hours, but in many headache disorders the reduction in pain lasts longer because the block lowers sensitization in the pain relay. The duration varies by person and by diagnosis, and we discuss the expected pattern at your consultation rather than quoting a fixed window.
Why does Neuregen treat the neck as well as the nerve?
Because the occipital nerve is usually irritated by something: upper cervical joint dysfunction, muscle guarding, postural load, or entrapment in the tissue it passes through. Blocking the nerve quiets the signal; addressing the source keeps the headache from returning at the same rate. The block is one step in that plan.
Start with a Strategy Consultation
If symptoms keep interrupting work, sleep or movement, that disruption is already part of your day. A consultation can help clarify the next question to investigate; it does not commit you to an injection.
8090 N. 85th Way, Suite 100, Scottsdale, AZ 85258 · Mon–Thu, 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM