From Alton the route is either the Clark Bridge and south through St. Charles County, or east to I-255 and down to I-270 west. Either way it ends at Woodson Road on the Missouri side, next to Lambert Airport.
When the headache starts at the base of the skull
Pain that begins at the top of the neck and travels up over the back of the head, sometimes reaching behind the eye, is a distinct pattern with distinct treatment. It is frequently carried under a migraine label for years, and the two genuinely do overlap, but the features that separate them are checkable.
Sharp, shooting or electric-shock pain, strictly one-sided, with a tender spot at the base of the skull and sometimes an oddly sensitive scalp, points toward occipital neuralgia rather than migraine. The comparison is set out in occipital neuralgia or migraine.
A test that gives an answer the same day
Where the occipital nerves are suspected, anesthetizing one settles the question quickly. If numbing that nerve abolishes the pain, the nerve is carrying it. If it does not, the pain is arising elsewhere and the diagnosis moves on — which is a useful result rather than a wasted trip.
That second half only holds if the injectate reached the nerve, which is why the injection is imaged rather than placed by feel. See occipital nerve block and why image guidance matters.
Making one trip count
Where distance is a real constraint, it is worth using the visit to settle the diagnosis rather than only to treat the day’s pain. A guided block is informative either way, which is exactly what you want from a journey you would rather not repeat unnecessarily. What the appointment involves is described in what to expect.
Common questions
How long does the relief last?
The anesthetic wears off in hours but the benefit often lasts weeks, and duration varies widely between people. See how long a block lasts.
Will I be able to drive back across the bridge?
Yes. There is no sedation and you drive yourself home. Numbness at the back of the head is expected and wears off over several hours — see side effects and risks.
I had a block elsewhere and it did nothing.
Worth establishing two things: whether it was image-guided, and which nerve was targeted. Pain behind the ear treated at the midline is an ordinary reason for a genuine non-response — see the anatomy.