Pediatric Migraine Nerve Blocks

A retrospective study published in Cureus evaluated greater occipital nerve (GON) blocks in severe medically refractory headaches in those 18 years of age or younger. The blocks consisted of chirocaine and depomedrone in 1, 2, or 3 administrations. Although the test group consisted of only 6 patients, all found relief post GON block. Migraine relief also improved overall quality of life, including better sleep and mobility, and less risk of potential headache from medication overuse. Repeat blocks were necessary in some of the patients, and also worked well.

Although the study size was small and lacked a control group, results were encouraging. The study concluded, “Chronic migraine is a debilitating condition in children with a dearth of well-established therapies, unlike in the adult population. We investigated the effects of greater occipital nerve blocks as a treatment for migraine refractory to standard medications. We found that GON block was well-tolerable and effective in all six subjects for headache burden relief and was associated with improvements in quality of life and concomitant reduction in pain medication usage.”

 

Read the journal article.

Other Categories:

• chronic pain

• headache

• migraine

• pain management

• pediatric pain management

• pediatrics