Supraorbital Nerve Anatomy and Function

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsAnatomyWhat Does the Supraorbital Nerve Do?Supraorbital Nerve PainTreatmentThe Nerve’s Role in MigrainesSummary

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Anatomy

What Does the Supraorbital Nerve Do?

Supraorbital Nerve Pain

Treatment

The Nerve’s Role in Migraines

Summary

The supraorbital nerve is a sensory nerve that brings sensation to the upper eyelid, forehead, and scalp.An acute trauma, like getting hit in the eye with a baseball, or a repetitive injury, like wearing swim goggles that are too tight, can easily damage this nerve.

An aggravated or injured supraorbital nerve can cause pain and tenderness in or above the eyebrow that may be persistent or intermittent. The pain is often described as a shooting, stabbing, or tingling sensation. Effective treatments include an injection of a local anesthetic or surgery.

This article takes a closer look at the anatomy and function of the supraorbital nerve, along with the causes of supraorbital nerve pain and potential treatment options.

Just above the orbital rim, the trunk of this nerve divides into two branches, one known as the superficial and the other as the deep branch.

The superficial branch goes over the frontalis muscle, providing sensation to your forehead and part of the scalp. Meanwhile, the deep branch supplies sensory input to the frontal parietal scalp and underlying tissues.

It’s not uncommon for a person’s supraorbital nerve to vary slightly from what’s considered anatomically normal.This must be taken into account for any surgery in the area.

The supraorbital nerve provides sensory information to the skin of the forehead, the bridge of the nose, the middle part of the upper eyelid, and the front part of the scalp.

While it is important for the nerve to function well, there are times where it is also essential to numb this function. Blocking the supraorbital nerve can help achieve pain control in the event of:

If there is damage to the supraorbital nerve, you may experience supraorbital neuralgia (nerve pain) with pain above your eyebrow, and possibly extending to the scalp.

The hallmarks of supraorbital neuralgia, a rare condition, include:

The cause of supraorbital neuralgia can be the result of infection or trauma to the nerve, such as a punch in the eye or from hitting a car windshield during an accident. The cause may also be unknown.

Supraorbital Nerve Entrapment

Swimmer’s Headache

Wearing tight-fitting goggles can aggravate the supraorbital nerve, causing a form of supraorbital neuralgia dubbed “swimmer’s headache.” This can develop when poorly fitting goggles are tightened excessively, possibly to compensate for leaking underwater.

People with this condition may experience soreness of the scalp or may describe the sensation as “painful hair.” Avoiding the googles should alleviate the situation. It may then be possible to switch to a better-fitting pair that doesn’t cause the condition.

If the pain persists or recurs, some other treatment possibilities include:

Beyond neuralgia cases, surgical treatment of the supraorbital nerve has actually been found to be beneficial for some people withmigraines.

By surgically decompressing this nerve—together with relieving pressure on another frontal nerve known as the supratrochlear nerve—these often painful headaches can sometimes be alleviated.

The supraorbital nerve innervates the upper eyelid, forehead, and scalp. It can easily be damaged due to blunt force trauma to the eye or forehead, or a repetitive injury like wearing swimming goggles that are too tight.

Supraorbital pain is like other types of nerve pain in that it feels like a shooting, stabbing, or tingling sensation. Treatment options include the injection of a local anesthetic or botox. If conservative treatments do not relieve pain, surgery may be considered.

5 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Haładaj R, Polguj M, Topol M.Anatomical variations of the supraorbital and supratrochlear nerves: Their intraorbital course and relation to the supraorbital margin.Med Sci Monit. 2019;25:5201-5210. doi:10.12659/MSM.915447Ren H, Shen Y, Luo F.Treatment of supraorbital neuralgia using ultrasound-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation of the supraorbital nerve: A respective study.J Pain Res. 2020 Jan;13(1):251-259. doi:10.2147/JPR.S228720University of Michigan Health.Scarred nerves.Palafax D.Nerve entrapment syndromes in competitive triathletes.Indian J Plast Surg. 2020 Dec;53(3):454. doi:10.1055/s-0040-1715190Raposio E, Simonacci F.Frontal trigger site deactivation for migraine surgical therapy.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2020;8(4):e2813. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000002813

5 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Haładaj R, Polguj M, Topol M.Anatomical variations of the supraorbital and supratrochlear nerves: Their intraorbital course and relation to the supraorbital margin.Med Sci Monit. 2019;25:5201-5210. doi:10.12659/MSM.915447Ren H, Shen Y, Luo F.Treatment of supraorbital neuralgia using ultrasound-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation of the supraorbital nerve: A respective study.J Pain Res. 2020 Jan;13(1):251-259. doi:10.2147/JPR.S228720University of Michigan Health.Scarred nerves.Palafax D.Nerve entrapment syndromes in competitive triathletes.Indian J Plast Surg. 2020 Dec;53(3):454. doi:10.1055/s-0040-1715190Raposio E, Simonacci F.Frontal trigger site deactivation for migraine surgical therapy.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2020;8(4):e2813. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000002813

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Haładaj R, Polguj M, Topol M.Anatomical variations of the supraorbital and supratrochlear nerves: Their intraorbital course and relation to the supraorbital margin.Med Sci Monit. 2019;25:5201-5210. doi:10.12659/MSM.915447Ren H, Shen Y, Luo F.Treatment of supraorbital neuralgia using ultrasound-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation of the supraorbital nerve: A respective study.J Pain Res. 2020 Jan;13(1):251-259. doi:10.2147/JPR.S228720University of Michigan Health.Scarred nerves.Palafax D.Nerve entrapment syndromes in competitive triathletes.Indian J Plast Surg. 2020 Dec;53(3):454. doi:10.1055/s-0040-1715190Raposio E, Simonacci F.Frontal trigger site deactivation for migraine surgical therapy.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2020;8(4):e2813. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000002813

Haładaj R, Polguj M, Topol M.Anatomical variations of the supraorbital and supratrochlear nerves: Their intraorbital course and relation to the supraorbital margin.Med Sci Monit. 2019;25:5201-5210. doi:10.12659/MSM.915447

Ren H, Shen Y, Luo F.Treatment of supraorbital neuralgia using ultrasound-guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation of the supraorbital nerve: A respective study.J Pain Res. 2020 Jan;13(1):251-259. doi:10.2147/JPR.S228720

University of Michigan Health.Scarred nerves.

Palafax D.Nerve entrapment syndromes in competitive triathletes.Indian J Plast Surg. 2020 Dec;53(3):454. doi:10.1055/s-0040-1715190

Raposio E, Simonacci F.Frontal trigger site deactivation for migraine surgical therapy.Plast Reconstr Surg Glob Open. 2020;8(4):e2813. doi:10.1097/GOX.0000000000002813

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