These are nerve blocks in which local anesthetic medications are precisely injected under x-ray guidance to block or numb the sympathetic nervous system network of nerves or ganglia that supply different parts of the body. These blocks are effective in certain chronic painful conditions in which pain is mediated by sympathetic hyperactivity. Complex regional pain syndrome is one example of these diseases. Examples of sympathetic nerve blocks include:
Sphenopalatine ganglion Block for migraines and head pain
Stellate ganglion block for head and upper extremity pain.
Lumbar sympathetic block for lower extremity pain.
Celiac plexus block for upper abdominal visceral pain.
Superior hypogastric plexus block for pelvic pain.
Ganglion Impar block for rectal and tailbone pain.