The stellate ganglion is a group of nerves located in the neck. These nerves send sensations from the upper limbs, neck, upper chest and head. If you have nerve pain in these areas that does not respond to other conservative treatments, injection therapy may be an option to give you relief. Our pain specialists at DOCS Health offer stellate ganglion block injections for chronic pain at our medical center in Los Angeles, CA.

The stellate ganglion is located on either side of the voice box in the throat. This group of nerves is part of the sympathetic nervous system, which can relay sensation from the upper extremities. There are multiple conditions that can cause chronic nerve pain that is sent through the stellate ganglion, including:

• Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS)
• Nerve damage from shingles or the herpes zoster virus
• Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
• Causalgia
• Phantom limb pain

Nerve pain can be difficult to diagnose and relieve. Injection therapy can be effective to identify the source of pain and many offer relief from certain nerve conditions.

Chronic Upper Body Nerve Pain Treatment

The stellate ganglion block injection can numb these nerves and stop the pain signals from traveling to the brain. This can help determine the source of nerve pain and may offer relief for some patients. The procedure is minimally invasive with very few risk factors. A nerve block injection can be performed at our medical center in Beverly Hills in an outpatient procedure.

A stellate ganglion block injection uses an anesthetic medication to numb this group of nerves in the neck. A local anesthetic is used to numb the skin before the injection is guided by ultrasound or a fluoroscope next to the stellate ganglion. The anesthetic is injected, which can begin working almost immediately to relieve nerve pain.

Stellate ganglion nerve blocks can identify the source of chronic nerve pain in the head, neck, chest or upper arms. It can also provide temporary relief from pain, and additional injections can be used to reduce nerve pain. To learn more about nerve block injections to diagnose or treat chronic pain conditions, contact us at DOCS Health in Beverly Hills to schedule your pain consultation.