A lumbar sympathetic block is a tool we use at New Jersey Pain Care Specialists to relieve pain in your legs that is related to the sympathetic nervous system.
Lumbar sympathetic nerves are located on the either side of spine, in the lower back. These nerves control basic functions like regulating blood flow and they carry pain information from the peripheral tissues back to the spinal cord.
A lumbar sympathetic nerve block is performed to relieve leg pain caused by complex regional pain syndromes, which may develop after an injury to a joint or limb. The goal is to block the sympathetic nerves that go to the leg and reduce pain, swelling, color, sweating and other unusual changes in the lower extremity. It may also improve mobility.
Here’s a brief description of this 10 to 30-minute minimally invasive procedure at New Jersey Pain Care Specialists:
- You lie either on your side or stomach on the procedure table and are administered an intravenous medication to relax you.
- The treatment area is sterilized and a local anesthetic numbs the skin and all the tissue down to the sympathetic nerves.
- Your experienced pain management physician slides a needle through the anesthetized track and a contrast solution is injected.
- A real-time fluoroscope x-ray device is used to identify the painful areas and to confirm the accurate placement of the needle tip.
- Next, a mixture of anesthetic, saline and anti-inflammatory medicine is injected around the sympathetic nerves to block pain signals from reaching the brain.
Your legs may feel weak or numb for a few hours after the procedure. Then, the pain in your legs should improve. After a period of monitoring in the recovery room you will be discharged, but will need a ride home and a day-or-so of rest.
If you respond well to the first injection, the lumbar sympathetic blocks may be repeated about once a week until the pain subsides. Typically, the relief period gets longer after each injection. But, of course, the response to these types of procedure varies from patient to patient.
Note: If you are on a blood-thinning medication or have an infection near the injection site, you will not be allowed to undergo this procedure.
