SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM BLOCKS
Atlas Pain and Spine uses Sympathetic Nervous System Blocks to subdue pain-generating or pain-transmitting nerves. These can also be helpful for diagnosing painful conditions such as CRPS/RSD (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) or tailbone pain. This is often done for patients with significant pain in the tailbone, one or both arms or legs with burning, excessive pain and other symptoms such as hair growth pattern changes, color changes, etc. Numbing medication is placed very precisely on the nerve groups contributing to pain using ultrasound or x-ray guidance to increase accuracy and efficacy. The injection will generally take just a few minutes and you should begin to feel some relief within a few days if not sooner. The length of time of relief varies.
Steps:
1. Overview: Your vitals will be taken, a safety check performed and your medical history updated. You’ll then be brought to the procedure suite.
2. Sedation and Positioning: You will be positioned lying down on your stomach or back depending on your specific site of pain. Sedation may be administered intravenously and the skin over the procedure site will be cleansed and may be numbed.
3. Injection: Using X-ray or ultrasound guidance a needle will be advanced to the landmarks where the nerve travels. A small amount of numbing medication and possibly steroid, will be injected at the area and then the needle will be removed. A band-aid will be applied to the injection sites. You’re all done! Generally, the procedure itself will only take a few minutes. Variations may be made to accommodate for patients’ individual conditions or allergies.
4. Recovery: Our friendly staff will take you to a recovery area where you’ll be monitored for any unlikely issues or complications, and follow-up appointments will be scheduled.