title: Injection Therapy for Headache and Facial Pain.
abstract: Peripheral nerve blocks are an increasingly viable treatment option for selected groups of headache patients, particularly those with intractable headache or facial pain. Greater occipital nerve block, the most widely used local anesthetic procedure in headache conditions, is particularly effective, safe, and easy to perform in the office. Adverse effects are few and infrequent. These procedures can result in rapid relief of pain and allodynia, and effects last for several weeks or months. Use of nerve block procedures and potentially onabotulinum toxin therapy should be expanded for patients with intractable headache disorders who may benefit, although more studies are needed for efficacy and clinical safety.
authors.affiliation: UCSF Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco Medical Center, 505 Parnassus Avenue, Box 0114, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
authors.forename: Jonathan K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kleen
authors.affiliation: UCSF Headache Center, UCSF Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco Medical Center, 2330 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94115, USA. Electronic address: morris.levin@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Morris
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Levin
mesh_terms: D065087:Acetylcholine Release Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A / Q000627:therapeutic use; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005157:Facial Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006261:Headache / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009407:Nerve Block / Q000379:methods*; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement
chemical_list: D065087:Acetylcholine Release Inhibitors; D019274:Botulinum Toxins, Type A
keywords: Headache; Injection; Local anesthetic; Migraine; Onabotulinum toxin