Decompression of the greater occipital nerve improves outcome in patients with chronic headache and neck pain - a retrospective cohort study.

Background: Compression of the greater occipital nerve (GON) may contribute to chronic headache, neck pain, and migraine in a subset of patients. We aimed to evaluate whether GON decompression could reduce pain and improve quality of life in patients with occipital neuralgia and chronic headache and neck pain.

Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, selected patients with neck pain and headache referred to a single neurosurgical center were analyzed.