Radiofrequency ablation of the occipital nerves for treatment of neuralgias and headache

Objective The purpose of this study was to retrospectively assess the efficacy of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) therapy as a treatment for occipital neuralgias and headaches at health clinics in the United States between January 1, 2015 and June 20, 2022. We hypothesize that RFA is a minimally invasive treatment that provides significant pain relief long‐term for occipital neuralgias and associated headaches. Methods This retrospective analysis studies data collected from 277 occipital nerve RFA patients who had adequate pre‐procedure and post‐procedure follow‐up for data analysis. Data collected includes the patient's age, biological sex, BMI, headache diagnosis, pre‐procedure, and post‐procedure pain score using the visual analog scale (VAS), subjective percent improvement in symptom(s), and duration of symptom relief. Statistical analysis used SPSS software, version 26 (IBM), using a paired t‐test to assess the significance between pre and post‐occipital RFA therapy pain scores. p‐values were significant if found to be ≤0.05. Results The mean pre‐procedure pain score before RFA therapy for patients who completed at least 6 months of follow‐up was 5.57 (SD = 1.87) and the mean post‐procedure pain score after RFA therapy was 2.39 (SD = 2.42). The improvement in pain scores between pre‐procedure and post‐procedure was statistically significant with a p‐value