Greater occipital nerve

The greater occipital nerve is a spinal nerve arising from the dorsal primary rami of cervical spinal nerve 2, between the first and second cervical vertebrae, along with the lesser occipital nerve.

It innervates the scalp at the top of the head, over the ear and over the parotid glands.

Clinical relevance
Disorder of this nerve is one of the causes of cervicogenic headaches, referred to as occipital neuralgias.