Lumbar Sympathetic Blocks

The sympathetic nerves reside on either side of the lumbar spine in the lower back. If these nerves are irritated, they can cause lower back pain as well as radiating pain in the hips and legs. A few different conditions cause sympathetic nerve pain that may be acute or chronic. At Medici Orthopaedics & Spine, we offer lumbar sympathetic block injections as one treatment option for chronic sympathetic nerve pain.

There are a few conditions that can cause irritation or inflammation around the sympathetic nerves in the lower back. They may include:

• Shingles or zoster herpes virus
• Peripheral neuropathy
• Complex regional pain syndrome
• Reflex sympathetic dystrophy
• Vascular disease

When any of these conditions cause nerve irritation, there may be lower back or sciatic nerve pain in the buttocks, hips or legs that do not respond to other treatments. One of the options we use at Medici Orthopaedics & Spine is the lumbar sympathetic nerve block injection to offer pain relief.

Injections for Lower Back Pain Relief

If you are diagnosed with sympathetic nerve pain, a lumbar sympathetic block injection could be a treatment to give you relief. The injection is performed in two steps. First, a local anesthetic is injected into the area that can provide immediate pain relief and numb the area before the steroid injection. Then, a steroid is injected with guidance from x-rays or imaging to deliver the medication as close as possible to the irritated sympathetic nerves in the lower back. The anesthetic and numbness in the area will wear off after a few hours. The steroid can require a few days to provide the anti-inflammatory results for pain relief, and a series of injections may be needed to have continued relief.

If you have chronic lower back or sciatica pain, come see us at Medici Orthopaedics & Spine. We offer a wide selection of multidisciplinary treatment options for stopping or managing chronic pain, including injection therapies. Contact one of our clinics in the greater Atlanta area to schedule a consultation with our experienced pain physicians.