Stellate Ganglion Block

Finding a solution for dealing with pain sensations is crucial. But when conservative methods don’t help, and there are more symptoms than just pain, it’s helpful to broaden the treatment horizon. This is what makes a stellate ganglion block so useful. Useful for treating both pain symptoms, circulation issues and mental health disorders, a stellate ganglion block targets one bundle of nerves that are responsible for providing sensations – good and bad – to several areas of the body. If you are suffering from pain conditions that haven’t responded to conservative methods, the Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists in the Reno, Sparks and Carson City areas are happy to explain how this treatment method might benefit you. 

What is a Stellate Ganglion Block? 

A stellate ganglion block is an injection of medication into the stellate ganglion, which is a collection of nerves that is located in the neck on both sides of the voice box. The stellate ganglion is part of the sympathetic nervous system, which is part of the autonomic nervous system, and is responsible for several functions of the body that a person does without thinking, including heart rate, blood pressure, sweating, and more. 

The stellate ganglion is specifically responsible for sending nerve sensations, including pain signals and movement, to the brain. If these nerves become injured, irritated or inflamed, a stellate ganglion block can help to relieve pain, swelling, sweating, poor circulation, and poor mobility in the head, neck, upper arm and upper chest. 

A stellate ganglion is also a powerful diagnostic tool that can help a pain management specialist to determine if the stellate ganglion is involved with the cause of pain. If pain relief is felt, then yes. If not, then the provider knows to look for additional causes. Once a block is performed, there are a few results that can happen: 

• Pain and symptoms resolve – the injection was a success
• Pain and symptoms don’t resolve – the injection failed
• Pain isn’t relieved but other symptoms are – the underlying condition is not related to the stellate ganglion

What Does a Stellate Ganglion Block Treat?

A stellate ganglion block is helpful for treating a myriad of conditions and symptoms, which is what makes the injection so powerful. These include: 

• Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
• Phantom limb pain
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Shoulder/hand syndromes
• Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)
• Shingles
• Nerve injury
• Poor circulation in the upper extremities
• Excessive sweating in the face and upper extremities
• Hot flashes
• Sleep dysfunctions
• Intractable angina
• Raynaud’s phenomenon
• Scleroderma (autoimmune disease)
• Postherpetic neuralgia

Most patients who receive a stellate ganglion block experience either total or, at the very least, partial pain reduction. A stellate ganglion block has also proven helpful when other treatments and pain medications have failed to provide a person with relief. 

What Does the Stellate Ganglion Block Procedure Involve?

The stellate ganglion block procedure is an outpatient procedure, meaning that the patient is able to return home the same day. After the patient lies face up on the exam table, the provider will administer a local anesthetic to numb the throat area. The provider will then clean the area before pressing on the neck to determine the correct placement for the injection, which most patients find briefly uncomfortable. It is crucial that the patient does not move – no coughing, talking or swallowing – during the procedure. The provider will then insert a needle in the throat near the voice box and inject a combination of an anesthetic and/or a steroid. 

The entire procedure should take around 15 minutes. Patients are encouraged to rest for the remainder of the day, and use an ice pack or over-the-counter pain medications if needed. Patients are advised to not drink, eat or swallow anything for four hours after the procedure.

Some patients report immediate feelings of pain relief. Other patients might benefit from continued injections to experience more long-term relief. Depending on the cause of pain, pain relief could be experienced for days or weeks. But, considering that a stellate ganglion block is also a diagnostic tool, it allows providers to seek additional methods to treat the underlying cause of pain while the patient can more comfortably utilize physical therapy and reduce their need for pain medications. 

What are the Benefits and Risks of a Stellate Ganglion Block Procedure? 

The main benefit of the stellate ganglion block procedure is that it is a minimally-invasive, low-risk and non-surgical treatment option for patients who are suffering from pain that hasn’t responded to conservative methods. There are several conditions and symptoms that a stellate ganglion block has proven helpful for treating, which is what makes it a great option for patients who either haven’t been able to find a diagnosis or find needed pain relief. 

Side effects of the injection could include Horner’s syndrome, which is drooping of the upper eyelid, pupil constriction, and decreased sweating. While rare, additional side effects include: 

• Red eyes
• Watery eyes
• Nasal stuffiness
• Difficulty swallowing
• Feeling of a “lump” in the throat
• Hoarseness
• Short of breath
• Bleeding
• Allergic reaction to the medication
• Numbness in the arm on the side of the block
• Weakness/numbness from the anesthetic

While the risks are low, the risks of stellate ganglion blocks include severe pain, numbness or weakness in the upper extremities, fever, or signs of infection at the injection site. It’s important to reach out to your healthcare provider should you experience any of these symptoms. 

Overall, a stellate ganglion block is helpful for treating a wide range of pain and circulation conditions. If you are suffering from conditions that have been difficult for your healthcare provider to diagnose, and conservative treatment methods such as physical therapy and pain medications haven’t been able to provide you with needed relief, a stellate ganglion block might be a great option for you. The Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists in the Reno, Sparks and Carson City areas are able to review your symptoms and determine if a stellate ganglion block is right for you. Please schedule an appointment with one of our specialists today! 

A stellate ganglion block is an injection of local anesthetic in the sympathetic nerve tissue of the neck. These nerves are a part of the sympathetic nervous system. The nerves are located on either side of the voice box, in the neck.

A stellate ganglion block blocks the sympathetic nerves that go to the arms, and, to some degree, the sympathetic nerves that go to the face. This may in turn reduce pain, swelling, color and sweating changes in the upper extremity and may improve mobility. It is done as a part of the treatment of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD), Sympathetic Maintained Pain, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and Herpes Zoster (shingles) involving an arm or the head and face.

It is performed with the patient slightly sitting up. The chin is slightly raised and turned away from the side to be injected. The patients are monitored with EKG, blood pressure cuff and an oxygen-monitoring device. Temperature sensing probes are also placed on your hands. The skin in the front of the neck, next to the “voice box” is cleaned with antiseptic solution and then the injection is carried out.

Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists is recognized as an industry leader in pain management. We have a state-of-the-art facility in Reno, Nevada, that allows for us to offer the highest possible level of quality care of our patients.

We are committed to providing a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach for each individual’s pain complaints to provide the most appropriate care. Our approach includes analysis of biomechanics, joint motion, as well as skeletal, nerve and muscle tissues. Every individual is evaluated for the root cause of their pain – not just a “quick fix” approach to only provide symptomatic relief.

Your pain will be evaluated with latest diagnostic tools and technologies used by the professionals at Nevada Advanced Pain Specialists to make accurate assessments including: EMG/Nerve testing, MRIs, x-rays, bone scans, and diagnostic pain injections.