Greater occipital nerve block is an effective treatment method for primary headaches?

Objectives: Headache is one of the most common health problems, and it severely reduces the quality of life. The present study examines the efficacy of greater occipital nerve (GON) block in patients monitored for primary headaches.

Methods: The present study includes 53 patients monitored by the headache outpatient clinic from March 2017 to June 2018, evaluates them for headache type, attack duration, attack frequency, severity of pain, and analgesic intake and compares the initial values with the follow-up values at months 1, 3, and 6.

Results: The study group comprises 36 episodic migraine cases, 12 tension-type headache (TTH) cases, 4 chronic migraine cases, and 1 cluster headache case. In migraine group, VAS scores, attack durations, and the mean value of monthly number of attacks and analgesics taken significantly decrease compared to initial values at the end of the 6-month follow-up period. In TTH group, VAS scores, attack durations, and the mean value of monthly number of attacks and analgesics taken significantly decrease compared to initial values at the end of the 3-month follow-up period. Since only 2 of 12 patients completed the 6-month follow-up, although there was a decrease in the 6-month data, it was found to be statistically insignificant.

Conclusion: Repetitive GON block is an effective treatment method for migraine and TTH.