Occipital nerve

Occipital nerves are a group of peripheral nerves that arise from the dorsal rami of the cervical spinal nerves, mainly C2 (greater occipital nerve), C2 and C3 (lesser occipital nerve), and C3 (third occipital nerve). They run through the posterior neck musculature to innervate the skin of the posterior scalp, upper neck, and parts of the external ear. Their main function is to relay somatosensory information—including touch, pain, and temperature—from these regions to the central nervous system. Irritation or injury of the occipital nerves is frequently implicated in occipital neuralgia, characterized by severe occipital headaches and referred pain to other head regions. Occipital nerve blocks with local anesthetics (sometimes combined with steroids) are sometimes used for diagnosis and symptomatic relief in headache disorders. The term "occipital nerve" or "occipital nerves" is anatomical, not molecular, and it cannot be properly classified as a drug target, receptor, or molecular entity.

Other names

Greater occipital nerveLesser occipital nerveThird occipital nerveArnold’s nerve

Nerve blockade (inhibition of action potential propagation in sensory neuron fibers by local anesthetic injection)