Occipital nerve stimulation

Occipital nerve stimulation (ONS), also called peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) of the occipital nerves, is used to treat chronic migraine patients who have failed to respond to pharmaceutical treatments.

The treatment involves the use of mild electrical impulses to stimulate the greater occipital nerve and lesser occipital nerve^[1] which are part of the peripheral nervous system and are located at the back of the head just above the neck area.

The electrical impulses are generated by a small device called a neurostimulator – similar to an artificial cardiac pacemaker – which is implanted in the buttock, chest, low abdomen, beneath the shoulder blade or below the clavicle.^[1] The electricity is delivered to the greater occipital nerve and lesser occipital nerve by small metal electrodes which are arranged on thin leads and implanted just under the skin.^[2] The intensity of the electrical impulses can be adjusted using a small remote control device.^[1]