Definition of ablative. 1  1 : of or relating to ablation. 2  2 : tending to ablate ablative material on a nose cone.
Occipital Nerve Block. An occipital nerve block is an injection that numbs the nerves at the back of the head. There are four nerves on each side of the scalp. Occipital nerves allow us to feel sensations in the scalp. An occipital nerve block is done to decrease headache pain, caused by migraine, injury (concussion), muscle tightness or occipital neuralgia. The medicine used is either a local anesthetic or a combination of a local anesthetic and a steroid. The medicine is placed around the occipital nerves, which are located just beneath the skin, in the back of the head. The occipital block is usually done in the office.
There are two branches to the occipital nerve -- the greater and lesser. Most of the time, the injury is to the greater ON. The ON takes origin from the C2 nerve root. Damage to the C2 nerve root, and possibly also the upper cord, can cause occipital neuralgia.