Efficacy of Unilateral Greater Occipital Nerve Block in Migraine Management: A Focused Approach for Targeted Relief

Aim: Migraine is one of the most common and disabling neurological disorders, causing a great deal of suffering both from an individual perspective and a public health point of view. Patients often suffer from either lack of efficacy or adverse reactions of oral treatments. The Greater occipital nerve (GON) block has recently come forward as a potentially useful choice for migraines. This study, therefore, assessed unilateral GON block to treat migraine.Methods: A total of 35 patients with migraine were included in this prospective study. The frequency, duration, pain severity and analgesic consumption of headaches were evaluated at baseline and 1 week, 1 month and 3 months post-treatment in GON block. The primary outcome measures included changes in the number of migraine attacks, duration, and the severity of pain using a visual analogue scale (VAS).Results: A substantial decrease was shown in the median number of migraine attacks, from 12 at baseline to 3 at month 3 (p=0.007). The mean duration of migraine attacks reduced from 12 hours at baseline to 3 hours at month 3 (p < 0.0001), and the mean VAS score was improved from 10 at baseline to 4 at month 3 (p < 0.0001). There was also a significant reduction in analgesic use from 12 at baseline to 2 doses per month (p=0.005).Conclusion: Our results show that unilateral GON block is an efficient and well-tolerated intervention for migraine patients, significantly decreasing headache frequency, intensity and duration.