Conquer Headaches With An Occipital Nerve Block Procedure

Chronic headaches and occipital neuralgia can be draining conditions.They can strike and disturb a person while he or she is going about the usual daily routine. They can disrupt sleep and make a person irritable.The discomfort can sometimes be difficult to endure. Having an occipital nerve block procedure for this kind of headache can bring relief.

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An occipital nerve block is usually done with steroids and anesthetics by injecting the greater and lower occipital nerve. This commonly outpatient procedure requires a patient to be awake. Because it requires an injection, the patient may feel pain at the back of the head where it is administered. For many, this is the only side effect of the procedure. The purpose of this procedure is to block the pain signal or to reduce the inflammation in the occipital nerves.

Depending on the case, some patients require several procedures before they can experience relief from chronic headaches. The first time usually confirms that the pain is indeed coming from the targeted part, and the succeeding ones help manage the pain. Most doctors don’t recommend getting more than three injections in less than a six-month period because the procedure employs steroids and anesthetics which could be harmful when frequently administered.

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The effects of this treatment can last between a week’s time to a few months. To prevent complications, patients must guarantee that they are not allergic to the medication. The safest way is to employ the supervision of a pain management specialist for the procedure.

A pain management physician, Dr. Melanie Novak, M.D. employs a multidisciplinary approach to treating acute pain using injection treatments, medications, physical therapy, and behavior therapy. More articles on pain management can be accessed on this page.

Understanding Pain Among Elderly Patients

Most people accept the fact that with aging comes aches, pains, and other health woes. What is unfortunate however is the reality that many senior folks “are often either untreated or undertreated for pain” as Thomas A. Cavalieri, D.O., pointed out in this article. Dr. Cavalieri noted that there is a host of barriers to effective pain management among the elderly, including proper assessment of pain by physicians.

It is common for many older folks just to dismiss any discomfort as a normal part of aging. It is, after all, what they have learned through the years and most probably saw in their parents. Such mindset, however, can exacerbate their pain, leading to more health woes in the long run.

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What many healthcare providers champion these days is a better understanding of the onset of pain among the elderly. For instance, the prevalence of persistent pain among geriatric patients increases with age. Chronic geriatric pain is defined as “an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage.” And about 50 percent of older adults at home and up to 80 percent of geriatric patients in healthcare facilities are suffering from chronic pain, severely impacting their quality of life.

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With a better understanding of the occurrence of pain among older adults plus a thorough assessment of all syndromes and the patient’s medical history, healthcare providers can craft a more effective pain management and treatment plan for the elderly.

Dr. Melanie Novak, M.D., uses a multidisciplinary approach in the treatment of chronic pain. Visit this website for more on Dr. Novak’s practice.