Charlie,

Yes, I have had injections around the occipital nerves. They do NOT go into them. What they do is palpate the area near the nerves and then sort of flood the area with numbing medicine and a steroid. I just term them trigger point injections. The other types of injections I was talking about are actual nerve blocks in the spine...facets, selective nerve root injections and ESI's. Although my own PM will NOT do ESI's in the neck.

I didn't have any side effects from any injections other than maybe a tiny rise in blood sugar and a little bit of jitteriness. So, don't be afraid and try them. I have known people to get relief from the trigger point types. I just didn't because the pain generator was from my cervical spine. However, even injections into the cervical spine helped a GREAT deal! I have had to have two fusions though but that's beside the point really.

If you are anxious about the injections, ask the doc if you can take a Valium before your appointment for the shots. They will let you do that...they just don't want you to take pain killers ahead of time.