Lumbar Sympathetic Block

This simple procedure is done to remove pain in either the right or left leg caused by trauma to muscle and nerves in the affected limb. This is particularly helpful after bone fractures with significant tissue and nerve damage. A lumbar sympathetic block is an injection of medication that helps relieve lower extremity pain. It can be used to treat: reflex sympathetic dystrophy, complex regional pain syndrome, herpes zoster infection (shingles) involving the legs, or vascular insufficiency.

Some patients report pain relief immediately after the injection, but the pain may return a few hours later as the anesthetic wears off. Longer term relief usually begins in two to three days, once the steroid begins to work. Usually people need a series of injections to continue the pain relief. Sometimes it takes only two injections; sometimes it takes more than 10.