Sympathetic
Nerve Blocks for Pain Management in Red Bank, New Jersey
Monmouth
Pain and Rehabilitation offers Sympathetic Nerve Blocks to relieve
pain and ensure correct diagnoses. As part of a multi-disciplinary
program of rehabilitation and pain management, Sympathetic Nerve
Blocks are used to ‘block’ the sympathetic nerve system
in the lower back or neck by injecting a numbing agent in those
areas. For many patients, this provides pain relief in order to
help the body heal through healthy rehabilitation practices (such
as physical therapy, chiropractic,
or acupuncture) without
surgery or drugs.
Sympathetic
Nerve Blocks
The
basic objective of Sympathetic Nerve Blocks is to interrupt the
ability of the nerves to send pain signals to the brain. This
is accomplished with the injection of an anesthetic medication
around the sympathetic nerves in the neck or lower back. A nerve
block is a fairly common procedure; anyone who has visited the
dentist and received Novocaine has experienced a nerve block.
When
the sympathetic nervous system is disabled, pain may be reduced
or completely eliminated. In many cases, this leads to a diagnosis
of sympathetically mediated pain. From there, more targeted and
therefore increasingly successful programs of pain management
and rehabilitation can begin.
In
addition to more accurate diagnoses, this anesthetic injection
may allow for long-lasting pain relief. The overall goal when
using Sympathetic Nerve Blocks for pain management is to regulate
the functioning of the sympathetic nervous system in the affected
area.
The
sympathetic nerves are responsible for breathing, blood pressure,
heart rate, sweating, digestion, and glandular functions. In many
cases, a malfunction of the sympathetic nerves is directly related
to chronic pain. For example,
disorder in the sympathetic nerves found near the lower neck may
lead to pain in the hands, arms, and face. The lumbar sympathetic
nerves (located in front of the spine on the lower back) can cause
pain in the feet, legs, and lower back.
Sympathetic
Blocks for Low Back Pain
When
Sympathetic Nerve malfunctions are found in the lumbar (lower)
part of the spine, the result may be pain and weakness in the
legs. For some, this condition can seriously restrict normal activities.
In order to help patients get out of pain and back to normal movement,
a Lumbar Sympathetic Nerve Block may be used to diagnose and treat
symptoms.
Neck
Pain and Sympathetic Nerve Blocks