A lumbar sympathetic ganglion block is an injection that contains local anesthetic used to help relieve chronic leg and foot pain. The chronic leg and foot pain may be caused by conditions such as complex regional pain syndrome, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, vascular insufficiency, shingles, and painful diabetic neuropathy in the legs.
Medication containing anesthetic and sometimes corticosteroid is injected into the sympathetic nerves (a cluster of nerve cell bodies) along the front side of the spine.
The sympathetic nerves are part of the autonomic nervous system. These nerves can restrict blood flow and increase heart rate, perspiration, and blood pressure. When injured, these nerves can sometimes transmit pain to the brain.
During a sympathetic ganglion block, an anesthetic known as lidocaine or bupivacaine is injected into the sympathetic ganglia. In some cases, a corticosteroid known as betamethasone, triamcinolone, or dexamethasone may also be injected.
The anesthetic can provide immediate but temporary pain relief, while the corticosteroid can reduce inflammation and also provide long-lasting pain relief.
Your doctor will first review your medical history and ask some questions. You may need to undergo imaging scans.
If you’re on blood-thinning medication, you may need to stop taking it several days prior to the treatment. Inform your doctor if you’re currently on any medication.
You will need to make arrangements for someone who will drive you back home after the injection.
You may be given a low-dose sedative to make you comfortable throughout the procedure. You will remain awake and conscious so that you can provide feedback to your doctor.
You will lie face down on the x-ray table so that your doctor can access your back.
Your doctor will clean the injection site with a solution, and a local anesthetic will be injected to numb the skin.
Your doctor will then insert a hollow needle through the skin and direct it to the lumbar sympathetic ganglia with the aid of fluoroscopic guidance. The fluoroscope is connected to a monitor where your physician watches the needle movement in real time.
A contrast dye is injected to allow your doctor to see the proper placement of the needle.
When the needle is properly placed, your doctor will then inject the medication. Once the medication is delivered, the needle is removed.
You may feel a sense of warmth or fullness. You may also feel temporary numbness or weakness in your limb. You will be monitored for 15 to 30 minutes until you recover from the temporary numbness and weakness.
You can go back home when you recover and are able to walk. Someone will have to drive you home.
You can resume your normal activities the next day. Avoid swimming or soak yourself in a bathtub for the next 72 hours.
Many patients experience immediate pain relief. Most patients need several injections to achieve long-lasting pain relief.
You may need to apply ice to reduce pain when the effect of the anesthetic has worn off before the corticosteroid starts to work.
Some patients report immediate pain relief after the injection. However, the pain may return a few hours later when the anesthetic wears off. Patients experience longer-term pain relief when the corticosteroid starts to take effect in two to three days.
If after the injection you experience immediate pain relief, your doctor may recommend a series of ganglion block injections 1-2 weeks apart to provide you with more long-term pain relief.
Apex Interventional Pain & Spine Center is the best medical Center in Coppell, Texas that provides Lumbar sympathetic ganglion block.
We specialize in the provision of pain treatments to ensure that patients experience total relief from pain. Whether you’re suffering from acute or chronic pain, we are right by you to ensure that you feel completely relieved.
We provide pain treatments for a variety of conditions that can cause pain such as facet joint syndrome, fibromyalgia, complex regional pain syndrome, lumbar radiculopathy, herniated disc, degenerative disc disease, discogenic pain, and more.
We are the right clinic that you should visit for any kind of pain. We have pain specialists with the right knowledge and extensive experience to treat your pain.
Visit us today or book an appointment!
