Stellate Ganglion Block overview
A Stellate Ganglion Block involves the injection of a local anesthetic in the front of the neck to block the sympathetic nerves in the neck on either side of the voice box. The purpose of the procedure may be therapeutic, providing pain relief or diagnosis, locating the source of pain. The injections are typically repeated to provided long lasting pain relief. How often the injections are given varies from patient to patient depending on how long each injection relieves their pain. Each injection takes approximately 5-10 minutes and the anesthetic typically takes 10-20 minutes to take full effect.
What conditions are Stellate Ganglion Blocks used to treat?
- Arm Pain
- Causalgia (Nerve Pain)
- Chest Pain
- Head Pain
- Intractable Angina (Heart Pain)
- Neck Pain
- Pain related to Herpes Zoster (Shingles)
- Sympathetically maintained pain (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy)
Typical benefits/outcomes of Stellate Ganglion Block
- Neck, head, chest, or arm pain relief
- Improvement in mobility
- Reduce swelling in upper extremities
- Reduce sweating changes in upper extremities
- Improvement in blood flow in patients with circulatory issues