A sympathetic block is a treatment to stop chronic pain. When you get a sympathetic block, your provider at Pain Care Boise injects an anesthetic into the sympathetic nerves that are the source of your pain. The medication blocks nerve signals, which in turn eases your pain.

Sympathetic nerve blocks target a ganglion, a cluster of nerves. Ganglia are found along your spine as nerves come together when they enter and exit the spinal cord. You’ll receive one of several sympathetic blocks that are named after the targeted ganglion.

A lumbar sympathetic nerve block relieves chronic pain by stopping signals from traveling through the ganglia in your lower back.

The Pain Care Boise team often uses a lumbar block to treat reflex sympathetic dystrophy, also called complex regional pain syndrome. CRPS affects your legs. A lumbar (lower back) block can also ease the pain associated with conditions like vascular insufficiency and shingles.

Your provider injects one sympathetic block to see if it successfully relieves your pain. If it does, you can get a series of injections that reset the nerves and give you longer-lasting pain relief.

The celiac plexus is a series of ganglia at the top of your lumbar spine. The Pain Care Boise team often injects a celiac plexus block to treat pancreatic cancer and upper abdominal pain. This group of ganglia serves many parts of your body, including the:

• Lower esophagus
• Stomach
• Small intestines
• Most of the large intestine
• Liver
• Pancreas
• Spleen
• Adrenal glands
• Kidneys

Chronic or severe pain originating in any of these organs can be improved with a celiac plexus block.

The Pain Care Boise team does a diagnostic block using an anesthetic. If that injection effectively reduces your pain, they recommend a neurolytic block using alcohol. An alcohol injection damages the nerves and provides long-lasting pain relief.

The superior hypogastric plexus is a complex of nerves in your lower spine. This group of nerves serves your:

• Lower sigmoid colon
• Bladder
• Ureters
• Testes
• Ovaries

Blocking the nerve signals in the superior hypogastric plexus can reduce pain that begins in any of these organs. Many patients who receive this treatment seek relief from the severe pain caused by cancer.

Like a celiac plexus block, your provider gives you a diagnostic block. If that injection is successful, you can receive a neurolytic block.

If you struggle with chronic pain, call Pain Care Boise today or book an appointment online to learn if a sympathetic block can help you.