Can a simple nerve block ease Veterans' headaches?
NCT ID NCT07796074
First seen Aug 31, 2026 · Last updated Sep 09, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether injecting a local anesthetic called bupivacaine around a nerve in the back of the head can reduce headache frequency in veterans with post-traumatic headache. Participants receive one of three doses of the anesthetic or a placebo, and they track their headaches in a diary. The goal is to see if the nerve block can lower the number of headache days per week over the following month.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- bupivacaine injected around the greater occipital nerve
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, low-cost way to reduce headache frequency in veterans with post-traumatic headache.
- What could go wrong
- The trial is small and early, so results may not apply broadly. The procedure may not provide lasting relief, and there is a small risk of allergic reactions or side effects from the anesthetic.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 36 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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Sep 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * United States Military Veterans within VA Connecticut Healthcare System1. * Head injury with headaches that have continued to occur for at least three months after the head injury * At least two headache days per week * Review of the medical record does not reveal another source for headache Exclusion Criteria: * Skull defect * Other contraindication to bupivacaine * Allergy or adverse reaction (e.g., rash, cardiac effects) to amide anesthetics, such as lidocaine * Instruction from clinician to avoid amide anesthetics, such as lidocaine * Pregnant or lack of adequate birth control * Clinical review of the patient's case reveals red flag signs or symptoms (e.g., side-locked pain, unilateral numbness/weakness during headache, rapid ascension to peak pain, syncope during attacks) that warrant further work-up (e.g., MRI, arterial imaging). * Absence of imaging warranted by the standard of clinical care for the head injury with headaches.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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VA Connecticut Healthcare System
RECRUITINGWest Haven, Connecticut, 06516, United States
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