Lumbar Sympathetic Blocks
Do you suffer from neuropathy or CRPS that has failed to improve with time and/or conservative therapy? If so you may be a candidate for this quick and simple treatment option.
Lumbar Sympathetic Block Q&A
What is a Lumbar Sympathetic Block?
A lumbar sympathetic block is an injection of steroid medication and local anesthetic into or around your sympathetic nerves to help relieve lower back or leg pain. Sympathetic nerves are located on both sides of your spine, in your lower back.
What are the Benefits?
Provides relief from pain and other symptoms in sympathetically mediated disorders, which are often difficult to treat.
How Does it Work?
The patient is given light sedation and the skin over the area to be injected is cleaned and numbed with local anesthetic. Using fluoroscopy (real-time x-ray) for guidance, the physician directs the injection into or around the target nerve. The lumbar sympathetic block is an outpatient procedure that takes less than an hour to perform.
How Many Treatments Will I Need?
How long the pain stays away is different for each patient. For some, the relief lasts weeks. For others, the relief lasts years. Since the block is impermanent, the patient may need another injection when symptoms return.
When Will I Feel Better?
Positive effects can occur within 30 minutes, but for some patients a few hours later.
Is a Lumbar Sympathetic Block Right for Me?
If you suffer from conditions including Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome and herpes zoster (shingles) and other conditions that affect your lower limbs this may be a viable treatment for you. We will schedule an appointment with one of our Board Certified Physicians, to see if this treatment is a good fit for you.