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PATIENT GUIDE TO SPHENOPALATINE GANGLION (S.P.G,) NERVE BLOCK
This is a well established procedure for the control of chronic or long standing pain and has been safely and successfully performed since 1909.
The S.P.G. is a concentrated collection of nerve cells adjacent to the lower brain centers. It is a relay station that can regulate the flow of nerve impulses that transmit painful or distressing stimuli. This area is readily reached through either nostril at the back of the nose.
The treatment involves the placement of wire applicators coiled with cotton dipped into a low dose local anesthetic and placed at the back of the nose. The low dose anesthetic is similar to that used by dentists for over 50 years. The applicators are left in place for about 30 minutes allowing the anesthetic to spread a short distance numbing the S.P.G.
MINOR SIDE EFFECTS MAY INCLUDE:
- Reflex Tear Drops
- Tickling Feeling From The Cotton
- Rarely Patients May Experience A Superficial Nose Bleed
- Allergy To The Anesthetic, Which Is Rare
- Irritation To The Nose Or Epistaxis Which Rarely Happens In The Skilled Hand.
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THE S.P.G. BLOCK IS USED FOR THE TREATMENT OF:
- Difficult Migraines
- Cluster Headaches
- Chronic Painful Conditions
- Facial Pain Post Shingles (Herpetic Pain)
- Fibromyalgia
- Pain In THe Neck & Upper Back
At the beginning, multiple blocks may be required to maintain a beneficial response. The treatments are cumulative. If no significant benefit occurs after 5 or 6 treatments, no further therapy is likely to be of value however, complex medical problems benefit from 10 or more treatments.
When satisfactory pain control is achieved, maintenance therapy is desirable. The time interval between blocks varies with the complexity of the total problem. The needs are different with each patient.
After each treatment the “mind is NOT clouded” and patients may resume daily normal activity including safely driving.
JACK S. OLIN - M.D.
Medical Director
SOUTH FLORIDA CENTER FOR H.O.P.E., INC. |
