If you are suffering from acute or chronic neck, facial, or arm pain, then a stellate ganglion block may be the pain relief treatment you’ve been looking for. In a stellate ganglion block, a small amount of anesthetic and steroid are injected into a cluster of nerves known as the stellate ganglion in the neck area.

Some conditions commonly treated with stellate ganglion blocks include:

• Shingles in the upper limbs
• Acute vascular insufficiency in the face and arms
• Chronic regional pains in the face, neck, arms, and upper chest
• Raynaud’s Syndrome of the arms
• Phantom limb pain
• Cancer-related sympathetic mediated pain
• Reflex sympathetic dystrophy

The injection process only takes a few minutes. An anesthetic will be applied to the injection area beforehand to minimize pain. You should immediately feel relief from pain when the procedure is finished, but you may also experience a temporary hoarse voice, red eye, headache, and nasal congestion as a side effect.

For most patients, the effects of a stellate ganglion block last longer with every recurring treatment. You should not receive this treatment if you have an infection, fever, bleeding problems, or allergy to anesthetics or steroids. You should also inform the doctor if you are pregnant.