Greater Occipital Nerve
Description[edit | edit source]
The occipital nerves are a group of nerves that arise from the C2 and C3 spinal nerves. The Greater Occipital Nerve (GON) is the biggest purely afferent nerve that arises from the medial division of the dorsal ramus of the C2 spinal nerve. It runs backward between the C1 and C2 vertebrae and traverses between the inferior capitis oblique and semispinalis capitis muscles from underneath the suboccipital triangle. While traveling to the subcutaneous layer, the GON is found to pierce the semispinalis capitis muscle.This complex involvement with the nearby musculature may make this nerve a potential source of nerve compression, entrapment, or irritation.
The GON innervates the skin of the back of the scalp up to the vertex of the skull, the ear, and the skin just above the parotid gland. Because of that it supplies sensation the scalp at the top of the head, over the ear and over the parotid glands
