Headache treatment often becomes a frustrating cycle for patients and doctors alike.

Painkillers help for a while.
Preventives are started, stopped, switched.
Reports come back “normal.”
And yet, the pain keeps returning.

At some point, the real question shifts from “Which medicine next?” to “Are we even targeting the right pathway?”

This is where the Sphenopalatine Ganglion (SPG) block quietly changes the conversation.

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What exactly is the SPG and why does it matter?

The Sphenopalatine Ganglion is a small but powerful nerve center located deep behind the nose. It acts as a relay station between pain pathways, autonomic nerves, and blood vessels supplying the head and face.

In simpler terms:

• It influences headache intensity

• It modulates facial pain

• It plays a role in migraine, cluster headache, post-viral headache, and certain neuralgias

When this ganglion becomes overactive or dysregulated, pain signals amplify often without any abnormality on MRI or CT scans.

That’s why many patients hear:

“Reports are fine… but symptoms are real.”

They are real. The problem is functional, not structural.

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Why medicines alone sometimes fall short

Most headache medications work systemically. They circulate through the bloodstream and hope to calm the irritated pathways.

But chronic headache conditions are not always chemical problems.
They are often neuro-autonomic problems.

In such cases:

• Increasing doses adds side effects

• Combining drugs adds confusion

• Relief becomes unpredictable

The SPG block offers a different philosophy:
👉 target the pathway directly, instead of chasing symptoms.

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What is an SPG block?

An SPG block is a targeted, minimally invasive procedure where a local anesthetic is delivered to the sphenopalatine ganglion through the nasal route.

No injections into the head.
No surgery.
No hospital admission.

The goal is simple:

• Temporarily reset abnormal pain signaling

• Reduce the frequency and intensity of headaches

• Break the chronic pain cycle

For many patients, it provides relief that medications alone could not achieve.

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Who benefits most from SPG block?

SPG block is particularly useful in patients with:

• Chronic migraine

• Cluster headache

• Post-COVID or post-viral headaches

• Facial pain syndromes

• Headache associated with autonomic symptoms (watering eyes, nasal congestion)

• Refractory headache despite adequate medication trials

It is not a blanket treatment and not every headache needs it.
Clinical evaluation decides suitability not desperation.

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What the procedure feels like

This is something patients always want to know.

The procedure is:

• Performed in a controlled clinical setting

• Takes only a few minutes

• Usually well tolerated

• Associated with minimal discomfort

There is no sedation required, and patients typically resume normal activity the same day.

More importantly, the response when it occurs is often rapid and noticeable.

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Is it a permanent cure?

This is where honesty matters.

SPG block is not magic.
It is not a “one-shot forever” cure.

It is a strategic intervention:

• Sometimes used as a bridge while preventive treatment stabilizes

• Sometimes repeated in selected patients

• Sometimes used to abort severe headache cycles

In the right patient, at the right time, it can significantly improve quality of life.

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Why SPG block must be doctor-led

SPG block is simple in appearance but complex in judgment.

The decision to perform it depends on:

• Headache type

• Duration

• Associated neurological features

• Previous treatment response

Used indiscriminately, it becomes just another procedure.
Used thoughtfully, it becomes a precision tool.

At NeuroMet Wellness, SPG block is offered only when clinically indicated, after proper evaluation not as a routine add-on.

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A shift in how we think about headache care

Headaches are not always about:

• more scans

• more medicines

• stronger painkillers

Sometimes, they are about understanding the circuitry.

SPG block represents that shift from guessing to targeting, from escalation to precision.

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At NeuroMet Wellness

Headache care is approached with:

• Careful clinical assessment

• Rational investigations

• Individualized treatment planning

• Judicious use of procedures like SPG block

Because effective neurology is not about doing more it’s about doing what actually makes sense.

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Final thought

If headaches are controlling your routine, your sleep, or your peace of mind and standard treatments are no longer working it may be time to look beyond pills.

Sometimes, relief comes not from another prescription, but from understanding the pathway causing the pain.