Lumbar sympathetic blocks

Lumbar sympathetic blocks are injections performed under X-Ray guidance to anesthetize the lumbar sympathetic chain, a collection of sympathetic nerve fibers that come together in the middle of the lumbar spine. Patients who are candidates for this injection suffer from sympathetically mediated pain, most commonly from a condition called complex regional pain syndrome (also known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy) that affects the lower limbs. The injection involves a small to medium amount of local anesthetic that numbs these sympathetic fibers that are maintaining a painful state of one of the lower limbs. By numbing these nerves, the patient is able to achieve some relief, often enough to participate in physical therapy and achieve a greater functioning of the painful limb.

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