The greater occipital nerve is a nerve of the head. It is a spinal nerve, specifically the medial branch of the

dorsal primary ramus The dorsal ramus of spinal nerve (or posterior ramus of spinal nerve, or posterior primary division) is the posterior division of a spinal nerve. The dorsal ramus (Latin for branch, plural ''rami'' ) is the dorsal branch of a spinal nerve that fo ...

cervical spinal nerve A spinal nerve is a mixed nerve, which carries motor, sensory, and autonomic signals between the spinal cord and the body. In the human body there are 31 pairs of spinal nerves, one on each side of the vertebral column. These are grouped into th ...

2. It arises from between the first and second cervical vertebrae, ascends, and then passes through the

semispinalis muscle The semispinalis muscles are a group of three muscles belonging to the transversospinales. These are the semispinalis capitis, the semispinalis cervicis and the semispinalis thoracis. The semispinalis capitis (''complexus'') is situated at the u ...

. It ascends further to supply the skin along the posterior part of the

scalp The scalp is the anatomical area bordered by the human face at the front, and by the neck at the sides and back. Structure The scalp is usually described as having five layers, which can conveniently be remembered as a mnemonic: * S: The ski ...

to the

vertex Vertex, vertices or vertexes may refer to: Science and technology Mathematics and computer science *Vertex (geometry), a point where two or more curves, lines, or edges meet * Vertex (computer graphics), a data structure that describes the positio ...

. It supplies sensation the

at the top of the head, over the

ear An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists of ...

and over the

parotid glands The parotid gland is a major salivary gland in many animals. In humans, the two parotid glands are present on either side of the mouth and in front of both ears. They are the largest of the salivary glands. Each parotid is wrapped around the ma ...

Structure

The greater occipital nerve is the medial branch of the

of cervical spinal nerve 2. It may also involve fibres from

cervical spinal nerve 3 The cervical spinal nerve 3 (C3) is a spinal nerve of the cervical segment.American Medical Association

. It arises from between the first and second cervical vertebrae, along with the

lesser occipital nerve The lesser occipital nerve or small occipital nerve is a cutaneous spinal nerve. It arises from second cervical (spinal) nerve (along with the greater occipital nerve). It innervates the scalp in the lateral area of the head posterior to the ...

. It ascends after emerging from below the

suboccipital triangle The suboccipital triangle is a region of the neck bounded by the following three muscles of the suboccipital group of muscles: * Rectus capitis posterior major - above and medially * Obliquus capitis superior - above and laterally * Obliquus cap ...

beneath the

obliquus capitis inferior muscle The obliquus capitis inferior muscle () is the larger of the two oblique muscles of the neck. It arises from the apex of the spinous process of the axis and passes laterally and slightly upward, to be inserted into the lower and back part of the t ...

. Just below the superior nuchal ridge, it pierces the fascia. It ascends further to supply the skin along the posterior part of the

up to the

Function

The greater occipital nerve supplies sensation to the

at the top of the head, over the

and over the

Clinical significance

Problems with the greater occipital nerve may be a cause of

cervicogenic headache Cervicogenic headache is a type of headache characterized by chronic hemicranial pain referred to the head from either the cervical spine or soft tissues within the neck. The main symptoms of cervicogenic headaches include pain originating in the ne ...

s. These may be referred to as

occipital neuralgia Occipital neuralgia (ON) is a painful condition affecting the posterior head in the distributions of the greater occipital nerve (GON), lesser occipital nerve (LON), third occipital nerve (TON), or a combination of the three. It is paroxysmal, la ...

s. A common site, and usually misdiagnosed area of entrapment for the greater occipital nerve, is at the

. These may be treated with a temporary

nerve block Nerve block or regional nerve blockade is any deliberate interruption of signals traveling along a nerve, often for the purpose of pain relief. Local anesthetic nerve block (sometimes referred to as simply "nerve block") is a short-term block, ...

Occipital pain management

Most people with tension headaches experience increasing intensity with time, and report pain originating in the back of the head (occipital) moving to the front of the head (supraorbital). Neurostimulation is sometimes used to treat tension headaches that originate from the occipital nerve.Migraine Treatment Technology Explained http://www.reedmigraine.com/treat/conditions

Notes

Additional images

Gray784.png, Dermatome distribution of the trigeminal nerve Gray790.png, The nerves of the scalp, face, and side of neck. Lateral head anatomy detail.png, Lateral head anatomy detail

External links

Image at theberries.ns.ca
* http://www.dartmouth.edu/~humananatomy/figures/chapter_47/47-2.HTM * http://www.dartmouth.edu/~humananatomy/figures/chapter_47/47-6.HTM {{Authority control Spinal nerves