Nerve Blocks

Nerve block injections contain a pain-numbing anesthetic. Bernadette Nazario-Lopez, MD, at Migraine and Headache Center of Florida in Altamonte Springs, Florida, uses nerve blocks to diagnose and treat headaches. If regular migraine treatments aren’t helping your severe headaches, a series of nerve blocks might provide relief. Call Migraine and Headache Center of Florida today or schedule a consultation online for further information about benefiting from nerve blocks.

What are nerve blocks?

Nerve blocks are medication injections that help diagnose, treat, and manage pain.

The nerves all around your body, branching out from your spinal cord and linking back to your brain, send pain sensations to your brain. When you feel pain, your nerves think there’s tissue damage. Sometimes, there’s no injury, and the nerve itself is faulty.

Nerve blocks act on individual nerves and nerve clusters called ganglions or plexuses. The medication targets nerves that transmit pain signals from specific parts of your body. They prevent these signals from reaching your brain.

Which drugs are used in nerve blocks?

Dr. Nazario-Lopez uses anesthetics like lidocaine and bupivacaine in nerve block injections. These drugs numb the pain nerves entirely.

Some nerve blocks also contain steroid medication. Steroids are powerful, long-acting anti-inflammatories.

What nerve blocks help with head pain?

There are nerve blocks for each primary nerve or ganglion. For example, a trigeminal nerve block affects the nerve in your face that’s associated with trigeminal neuralgia and migraines.

Other nerve blocks that Migraine and Headache Center of Florida uses for headaches and head pain include:

• Sphenopalatine ganglion (nose and palate)
• Greater occipital (back of the head)
• Supraorbital (above the eye)
• Infraorbital (below the eye)
• Auriculotemporal (temples)
• Lesser occipital (behind the ear)
• Maxillary nerve block (upper jaw)

Dr. Nazario-Lopez uses nerve blocks to diagnose and treat various painful head conditions.

Which conditions do nerve blocks treat?

Conditions nerve blocks treat include:

• Migraines
• Chronic daily headaches
• Tension headaches
• Cluster headaches
• Analgesic rebound headaches
• Temporomandibular (jaw) disorders
• Trigeminal neuralgia
• Occipital neuralgia
• Myofascial pain

Pain reduction lasts 6-8 weeks. Some patients need further nerve block injections at four- to eight-week intervals.

Nerve blocks also help Dr. Nazario-Lopez determine what’s causing head pain. She numbs selected areas to see what difference it makes to your symptoms. The results can confirm or rule out specific conditions.

What does a nerve block injection involve?

Nerve blocks are safe and generally well-tolerated. You receive your nerve block injection in Dr. Nazario-Lopez’s office.

Some patients find nerve block injections uncomfortable, but any discomfort is brief. Dr. Nazario-Lopez might use imaging technology to guide the needle’s placement depending on where you have the injection.

After a nerve block, you’ll likely feel numb in the treated area for the rest of the day. If you feel well, you can return to everyday activities the following day, including driving and working.

Call Migraine and Headache Center of Florida today or book an appointment online to benefit from expertly administered nerve block injections.