SGB Injections for PTSD: A New Hope for Sufferers
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that affects millions of people worldwide, especially veterans who have experienced traumatic events during their military service. PTSD can cause severe anxiety, nightmares, flashbacks, and emotional distress that interfere with daily functioning and quality of life.
Many treatments are available for PTSD, such as psychotherapy, medication, and complementary therapies. However, not everyone responds well to these options, and some may experience side effects or relapse. Therefore, there is a need for more effective and safe treatments for PTSD.
One promising treatment that has emerged in recent years is stellate ganglion block (SGB), an injection of anaesthetic medication into a collection of nerves in the neck called the stellate ganglion. These nerves are part of the sympathetic nervous system, which regulates the body’s response to stress and danger. By blocking these nerves temporarily, SGB may reduce the activity of the sympathetic nervous system and calm the anxiety and fear associated with PTSD.
SGB is not a new procedure; it has been used for decades to treat various pain and circulation conditions, such as complex regional pain syndrome and peripheral artery disease. However, it has only recently been applied to PTSD, after some military and civilian doctors observed that some of their patients with chronic pain and PTSD experienced improvement in their mental health symptoms after receiving SGB.
Since then, several studies have been conducted to investigate the safety and efficacy of SGB for PTSD. One of the most recent and rigorous studies was funded by the U.S. Army and published in JAMA Psychiatry in 2020. The study involved 240 active-duty service members with PTSD who were randomly assigned to receive either SGB or a placebo injection. The results showed that SGB significantly reduced PTSD symptoms at a rate about twice that of the placebo, and that the effects lasted for at least six months. The study also found that SGB was safe and well-tolerated, with no serious adverse events reported.
The researchers concluded that SGB is a promising treatment for PTSD that deserves further investigation and dissemination. They suggested that SGB may work by resetting the brain’s fear circuitry, which becomes overactive in PTSD. By dampening the sympathetic nervous system response, SGB may allow the brain to process traumatic memories more effectively and reduce the emotional impact of triggers.
SGB is not a cure for PTSD; it does not erase the traumatic memories or address the underlying causes of the disorder. However, it may provide rapid and lasting relief from some of the most debilitating symptoms of PTSD, such as anxiety, hypervigilance, and insomnia. By reducing these symptoms, SGB may also enhance the effectiveness of other treatments, such as psychotherapy and medication.
If you are suffering from PTSD and are interested in trying SGB, please visit our website www.painspa.co.uk or email us at clinic@painspa.co.uk. Please be aware that SGB is not widely available yet; it is mostly offered by specialized clinics like ours or research centres in the USA. However, as more evidence emerges on its benefits for PTSD, SGB may become more accessible and affordable in the near future.
SGB injections for PTSD may offer new hope for patients who suffer from this debilitating condition. By blocking a key nerve cluster in the neck, SGB may calm the nervous system and reduce the anxiety and fear that plague many veterans with PTSD. SGB may be a safe and effective treatment that can improve the lives of PTSD sufferers and their families