PTSD is a growing mental health concern that has the ability to affect people of all ages and occupations. While PTSD is becoming more and more accepted as a condition that requires treatment, there isn’t one treatment that can solve PTSD for everyone.
There are many treatments, including talk therapy, medication, and even electroconvulsive therapy. These all have their risks and shortcomings. However, a recent breakthrough in PTSD has revealed a potential new treatment for PTSD that could change the lives of millions of sufferers. Regenerative Orthopedics & Sports Medicine is excited to bring PTSD treatment to patients in the Annapolis area.
What is The Stellate Ganglion Block?
Stellate ganglion block is a common medical procedure that has been used since the 1940s to relieve pain. An injection is administered that blocks the nerve signals between your brain and the body for the sympathetic nervous system, which in addition to being a part of the pain centers of your body, is also the source of your body’s fight-or-flight responses.
How Does The Stellate Ganglion Block Affect PTSD?
Research has found that PTSD comes from the constant activation of the sympathetic nervous system, which triggers stress and anxiety even where there is no need for it. By administering stellate ganglion block in PTSD sufferers, it is as though the nervous system is reset, reducing levels of norepinephrine (the substance in the brain that increases after extreme trauma).
The treatment is very simple. A pain relief injection is administered in the neck area, where the sympathetic nervous system is present. Thousands of people since 2007 have benefited from stellate ganglion block for PTSD, and there are constant improvements to the procedure in order to improve the patient outcomes.
Treating PTSD With The Stellate Ganglion Block
The first successful treatment of PTSD with stellate ganglion block was in 2008, and there was success in subsequent tests. Success rates have been very high, averaging around 70-75% over the first nine years, and even increasing to 85-90% with improvements in the procedure. Because the stellate ganglion block is a simple injection, it has been found to begin the effects of PTSD relief within minutes and can last for many years.
While SGB’s success in relieving the symptoms of PTSD has been well-documented, it’s important to note that it doesn’t treat it forever. However, stellate ganglion block combined with therapies including counselling, talk therapy, and other PTSD treatments can control the symptoms for many years to come.
Treatments For PTSD
To learn more about how stellate ganglion block can help you relieve your PTSD, contact us today at Regenerative Orthopedics & Sports Medicine to find out how our clinic can help.
